Hanover sophomores spoil Mechanicsville’s senior night

ROB WITHAM Special Correspondent MECHANICSVILLE

– On a night where Mechanicsville High School honored its senior boys basketball players, two Hanover Hawk sophomores spoiled the party, leading the visitors to a pair of important wins in the race for the playoffs in Class 4, Region B.

On the girls’ side, Hanover’s Kaycee Doughty scored 12 of her game-high 18 points in the second half to help the Hawks pull away from the Mustangs for a 66-38 victory on Feb. 3, while Will Hopkins Jr., praised a week ago by his head coach Rob Rice for his sacrificial play in a win over Atlee, got his chance to fill the stat sheet, scoring 14 of his game-high 18 points in the first half as Hanover beat Mechanicsville 62-34.

“When we pass, when we use each other, work with our teammates, we open up a lot more things,” Doughty said.

One opening for Hanover (14-6) was a short-range jumper in the lane which Doughty took again and again to huge success. But Mechanicsville (14-4), still trying to adjust to life without injured senior standout Bennett Carlton, kept the Hawks within sight in the first half, thanks in large part to a freshman point guard who showed talent far beyond her years.

Remember the name Kedelin Santos, who scored 10 points in the first half for the Mustangs. Her only blemish on the night was picking up her third foul with 2:43 left in the first half. From the bench, she watched Hanover finish the quarter on a 6-0 run for a 27-17 lead at intermission.

The Hawks did a much better job defensively on denying Santos shot opportunities in the second half, limiting her to four of her 14 points during that time. Meanwhile, Emma Slutzah nailed three of her four 3-pointers in the second half, while Meredith Atkinson scored seven of her 10 points in the second half to help Hanover pull away for the win.

Both the Hawks and Mustangs are jockeying for postseason position. For Hanover, now in sixth place in Region 4B, it is fighting teams like Matoaca, Chancellor and Monacan for a top-4 seed, which would provide a bye to the tournament quarterfinal round. Mechanicsville, despite the loss, is still in second place, but clinging to hope that it can remain in that top-4.

As for fixating on the standings right now? Doughty says no, that’s not an issue.

“I don’t look at it,” Doughty said of the region standings. “I just look at the next game, the next practice, the next play. I don’t worry about that.”

Jolena Goldkuhle contributed eight points in the Hanover win with Hali Harris adding seven. Another building block for Mechanicsville, sophomore Kate Carlton, scored 11 of her 12 points in the second half.

The boys contest was dominated by Hanover (119), jumping out to a quick 12-4 lead five minutes into the game including a Jalen Copeland 3-pointer from the same corner where he hit a pair of treys crucial to last week’s win over Atlee.

Hanover’s defensive prowess pressured Mechanicsville (1-17) into turnovers, which became easy transition baskets, mostly for Beau Sahnow, who drove to the hoop time and time again, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the first half as the Hawks built a 36-17 lead.

Between them, Sahnow and Hopkins scored 27 of the Hawks’ 36 first half points. Senior Max Williams continued his recent success in the paint with 16 points, 10 of them in the second half to pull the Hawks away to victory.

The Mustangs had eight players in the box score, but none scoring more than eight points. Josh Morris led Mechanicsville with eight, while Joseph Foley and Brady Barton each had six, and Joseph Evans had five. Mechanicsville has one more chance to pick up a win over a county rival when they visit Atlee on Friday, Feb. 10.

Meanwhile, Hanover is in the thick of a wild race in Region 4B, currently in ninth place, but within a half-point of Henrico for seventh. That’s key, because seeds No. 5-8 will host first round games on Friday, Feb. 17. If you finish ninth to 12th, you hit the road.

The Hawks would much rather begin the postseason at The Birdcage with a rowdy contingent of fans in the Hawks Nest. To do so, they’ll need a win at rival Patrick Henry, who is a half-point behind Powhatan for the 12th and final playoff bid with a week left in the regular season.