MC in state hoops action Sat.

Madison County had already clinched another state tournament berth entering Saturday’s Region B championship match against Altavista, but you couldn’t tell by looking at the Mountaineers’ bench.

“We just wanted to go out here and compete and get that trophy,” said senior Jerel Carter. “Because that’s what we do – we win.”

The Mountaineers were fixated on the action from the opening tip, and Madison picked apart the Colonels for a 59-31 victory in front of a packed house at Spotswood High School.

There was more than a half-hour wait just to get into the building, and most in line were wearing Mountaineer blue. Once they were in, they got a different kind of show than they were used to when Altavista tried to slow play the Mountaineers.

“We just played hard defense,” Carter said. “Waited for them to turn it over and capitalize on their mistakes.”

The normally-fast Mountaineers were able to match the lethargic speed by holding the Colonels to one shot per possession.

“People were wondering if we could play if the game was low scoring,” Madison Coach Ben Breeden said. “We’ve had tough games like that throughout the year and our kids responded and took care of the ball – especially in the second half.”

Madison took over by holding the Colonels to four points in the third, sealing the quarter with Carter sinking a half-court shot for the 42-21 lead.
“I believe our defense, especially in that third quarter, was really, really good,” Breeden said. “We did a couple things to disrupt the ball a little bit and made some things happen – our kids really stepped up.”

On the other end, one shot was all Madison needed. Carter tallied 15 points to go with 13 rebounds and six assists, while Logan Terrell posted 11 points and David Falk had 10.

“We talked before the game about sharing the ball,” Terrell said. “That’s going to open up a lot of doors for us.”

The Mountaineers head back to the state tournament with a new challenge, facing an unfamiliar Division 1 field in Group A play.

“You just wanted to make a statement with this game as to where we stand on the landscape of Division 1 basketball,” Breeden said.

Madison next faces Surry County’s Cougars, which defeated Westpoint over the weekend. The Mountaineers will play in the Group A state tournament. Tip-off for the Madison-Surry showdown is set for 5 p.m. Saturday, March 6 at James Madison University in Harrisonburg.

Tickets for Saturdays game -- in the Convocation Center at JMU -- are $8 and there will be no presale tickets available. Tickets can only be purchased at JMU the day of the game.

This time the Mountaineers hope to bring back home the one trophy that eluded them last season.

“This year we come fundamentally sound,” Terrell said. “And ready to take it on.”

Be sure to pick up a copy of the March 4 Eagle for more Madison boys basketball info and photos.