Hanover’s defense the difference as late comeback knocks out Monacan

WELDON BRADSHAW Special correspondent

Who would have thought?

Really, now. Who would have ever thought that the Hanover Hawks would defeat a solid, wellcoached Monacan team (and on the road, no less) by scrapping their tried-and-true, tested-byfire, man-to-man defense and switching to, gulp, your basic ol’ 2-3 zone? Strange as that might sound to those who know coach Dave Butler’s penchant for relentless play, defense-createsoffense pressure, and running the floor with purpose, that’s exactly what his crew did Tuesday night to dispatch the Chiefs 56-49 in the quarterfinal round of the Class 4, Region B playoffs.

“We like to go man-to-man because we’re deep and we like to try and out-depth people,” Butler said. “We feel like we can put in anyone on our bench and get the job done.”

That wasn’t happening in the first half, though, as the Chiefs, No. 10 in the Times-Dispatch Top 10, controlled the action and went into the locker room with a 29-21 lead, 33-19 rebounding advantage, and confidence generated by a defensive effort that harried the Hawks into 6-of-27 shooting and seven costly turnovers.

“They were getting into the interior too much, and we had to find a way to adjust,” Butler continued. “Our coaches brought up the idea (of switching to 2-3). Our players were receptive to the change. We went with it. We stuck with it.

“I was fully prepared to go back to man, though. Sometimes, I don’t love our zone.”

This time, Butler did.

Against the Chiefs’ man-toman, Kaycee Doughty opened the third quarter with a bucket off a sweet inside move at 7:49, Hali Harris hit 2 of 2 free throws at 7:17, and Izzy Murphy followed with a 3-pointer from the left wing at 6:38 to pull the Hawks to within a point at 29-28.

At 3:33, they took their first lead (32-31) on a chip-shot bucket by Jada Oakcrum. Though they out- scored Monacan 16-9 in the third quarter, the Chiefs went into the fourth with a tenuous 38-37 lead.

Defense was the tone-setter and difference-maker for the Hawks.

“It was so we could cover everybody and not have to worry about switching or getting out of place,” said Harris, a 6-0 junior who scored 13 points. “We could stay intact and rebound together and play together as a team.

“We had to stay true to ourselves and focused and keep our heads and play Hanover basketball.”

Despite Monacan’s full-court, man-to-man pressure, the Hawks regained the advantage when Doughty hit a soft jumper from the right elbow at 7:29. After another lead change, they went up for good (44-42) on Harris’s 15-foot jumper from just to right of the key at 5:52.

MacKenzie Swayne hit 1 of 2 from the line enabling the Chiefs to close to 44-43 at 5:40.

Meredith Atkinson scored off a Harris assist at 4:40, and Doughty’s transition layup at 4:10 put Hanover up 48-43.

Harris hit a layup and converted the and-one at 1:30 to break a 49all tie. Then, the Hawks hit 4 of 8 free throws and held the Chiefs scoreless in that last 1:30 to ensure a joyous bus ride back to eastern Hanover County.

“We tried to be strong with the ball and make sure we looked before we passed it and not give it away,” said Doughty, a 6-foot sophomore. “I just tried to stay calm. If something goes wrong, regroup, move on, keep going.

“Our mindset is that we believe in ourselves. That was the mindset all day, all week.”

And the mindset as the clock ticked down and victory was assured?

“Amazing,” Doughty said. “So exciting. A special feeling.”