Speed can be deceptive and dominating.
Wednesday night in the Group 3A West basketball semifinal between Cave Spring and Spotswood at Rustburg High School, speed was decisive.
Sparked by the early coast-to-coast moves by lightning-fast junior guard Khalil Davis, Spotswood outlasted Cave Spring 76-69 to remain undefeated at 28-0 and secure their spot in the state 3A Final-4. Cave Spring’s season came to an end after a late-season surge that had seen the Knights knock off three straight opponents in tournament play.
Spotswood ran out to a 10-4 lead and after Cave Spring’s Brody Hicks hit from behind-the-arc to make it 10-7, the Trailblazers closed the quarter on a 14-4 run for a 24-11 advantage after one quarter. Cave Spring spent much of the opening eight minutes looking for adjustments to counter the Blazer’s quickness.
“We had scouting reports that made us aware of their speed,” Cave Spring head coach Billy Hicks noted in the locker room after the game. “But, it’s different to see it. The reality of their speed is hard to overcome. It was a big factor in the early deficit.” The Knights had six personal fouls in the first quarter, while the press-and-run Blazers had none.
Spotswood went to the halftime break up 41-27.
Their play in the paint and domination on the boards kept Cave Spring in the game in the second half. Knight sophomores Adam Sledd and Brody Hicks along with junior Zac Foutz made their presence known in the paint by clearing rebounds and scoring on second chances. The Knights out rebounded Spotswood 40-20 for the game. But, Cave Spring could not get the deficit into single digits in the third quarter and trailed 60-48 heading to the final frame.
Sledd’s ally-oop slam cut the Knight deficit to eight points midway through the fourth and Cave Spring got to within 66-60 on their next possession, but three free throws by Spotswood senior leader Tucker McCoy over a two-possession span pushed the Blazer lead to 69-60. Foutz scored on a put-back with 1:23 left, but Cave Spring would never get closer than seven points the rest of the way as the Blazers hit their free throws down the stretch.
Spotswood head coach Chad Edwards knew his Blazers were in for a battle in the second half.
“Cave Spring was ready tonight,” Edwards said at mid court after the teams exchanged handshakes. “They are a well-coached team that had an excellent game plan. After the first half, it was a war the rest of the way. Cave Spring kept making a run and they were getting second and third shots. We have a lot of pride and tradition, and were holding our own.”
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Hicks said. “The kids kept believing even when things during the season didn’t look good and when things tonight didn’t look good. It’s the inconsistency of youth. We give up things in December to play our best at tournament time. Good things are ahead for our team.”
Brody Hicks finished with a game-high 28 points, with Sledd getting a double-double on 20 points and 13 boards.
The Blazers were led by McCoy’s 22 points, with Davis streaking to 20 and Justin Kier adding 15 points for Spotswood.
– Bill Turner
