Prep Notebook: Altavista shoots out the lights, Zajac breaks another Glass record

Source: The News & Advance, Lynchburg, Va.迷你倉Jan. 14--When members of the Altavista basketball team traveled to Cave Spring on Saturday to play in the Relay for Life Cancer Tournament, they knew their opponent would be tough.Stuarts Draft plays a quick, up-tempo style of basketball that originated at Iowa's Grinnell College. The Cougars have a regular starting five, but sub in players almost every minute of action. The constant rotation keeps players fresh and allows for defensive intensity, especially the full-court press and two -- or three-man trap."Their goal is to shoot a 3-pointer within 10 seconds of when they touch the ball," Altavista coach Mike Cartolaro said.How did Altavista prepare for Stuarts Draft? Cartolaro scouted the fast-paced team twice and went over the report Friday with the Colonels' JV squad.The result: A 103-85 Altavista win that must have left fans unfamiliar with the Grinnell system scratching their heads."You can't hold the ball against them," Cartolaro, whose team prides itself on slowing the tempo of a game, said. "They force you to play at their tempo."Junior forward Darius Johnson led the Colonels with 35 points, a career high, while going 16 of 21 from the field. He added nine rebounds. Juan Thornhill added 20 points and eight assists. In a game in which numbers were skewed due to the style of play, the Colonels finished with 27 assists. They also shot 64 percent from the field.Stuarts Draft shot 46 3s and downed 19, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Altavista led 51-35 at halftime and both teams combined to put up 102 points in the final 16 minutes. Altavista shot just five shots from the foul line while the Cougars were 6 of 8.The Cougars began playing the run-and-gun style three years ago."We thought our guys adjusted well to a very unusual style," Cartolaro added, "that they may never see again."Glass-Heritage revisitedWith games taking place in both of its gyms Saturday night, E.C. Glass reached its maximum occupancy 45 minutes before the headliner boys' game began.Roughly 200 people stood outside, waiting for other games to end.The first half didn't disappoint, with both squads prone to droughts and runs. After sprinting to a 10-0 lead, Heritage clung to a one-point lead after Glass guard Rameek Vereen banked in a 3 at the buzzer.So how was Glass able to earn a 58-38 win? They constantly attacked the basket, using a relentless barrage of putbacks and, in many cases, limited the Pioneers to just one shot.Shawn Brown led Glass with 15 points. With point guard O'shea Mayo in foul trouble early, Glass coach Roy Roberson turned自存倉to Vereen, while Quinton Garland provided eight points off the bench."That was ctritical," Roberson said, "because we didn't shoot it great. We shot it a little bit better [than recently], but the first half I thought we left a lot of opportunities out there. I thought we missed a lot of easy ones in traffic. ...The third quarter, we did a better job of executing."Heritage was scoreless was 10 minutes in the second half.The two rivals face off for the final time in the regular season at Heritage on Jan. 24.Zajac keeps it in the familyMichael Zajac's school records are beginning to fall like flies. But the former E.C. Glass standout track and field athlete probably won't mind that much.His younger brother, Matthew, broke Michael's discus record last spring. On Saturday, he was at it again.Matthew Zajac threw a massive 59-09 1/2 in the shot put at the Durham Striders Invitational in Chapel Hill, NC, outdistancing his brother's school record.Glass track coach Rodney Smith said last winter that Zajac would break the 60-foot mark. The junior never quite got there. Now, though, he's getting very close."There are very few people in the state that have thrown over 60," Smith said. "He's [almost] reached one of his goals."Zajac's toss for first place in the shot put highlighted a stellar day for Glass in Chapel Hill.Freshman Libby Davidson grabbed first place in the 3,200 with an 11:25.87 and raced to third in the 1,600 (5:24.29). Other Glass notables on the girls' side included Holly Carrington (third in 1,000 and fifth in 3,200), Zakiya Bateman (sixth in 55), Shauntell Johnson (fourth in 500 and sixth in 300) and Nina Bradley (sixth in shot put).Glass also placed well in two relays, speeding to second in the 3,200 (9:56.47) and third in the 1,600 (4:11.78).On the boys' side, Requan Harley took third in the long jump and Aaron Deane finished eighth in the triple jump. The boys 1,600 relay squad took 10 th at 3:38.08.SidelinesFormer Brookville goalie Kyle Renfro was invited to the Major League Soccer combine, which takes place this week in Lauderhill, Fla. He's the first Virginia Tech player to receive that honor. Renfro earned first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors this year and led the league in saves for the third consecutive season. ... Amherst senior catcher Peyton Maddox has committed to VMI for 2015. He hit .347 as a junior and committed six errors (.769 fielding percentage) at third base.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) Visit The News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) at .newsadvance.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉出租