James Monroe handles Cameron in Class A quarterfinal, 74-32

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — James Monroe has its sights set on a second straight Class A state championship.

In Tuesday’s Class A quarterfinal against No. 8 Cameron, the Mavericks displayed all the traits that allowed them to earn the top seed and put them within two wins of doing just that.

James Monroe made 28 field goals through three quarters, scored 29 unanswered first-half points, including all 22 in the second quarter, and cruised by the Dragons for a 74-32 victory at the Charleston Coliseum.

“Enjoy the journey is one of the quotes we use, and I think we enjoyed the journey pretty well tonight,” James Monroe head coach Matt Sauvage said.

The win puts JMHS (23-2) into a semifinal Friday against No. 4 Clay-Battelle.

While the Mavericks never trailed, the Dragons (14-12) put together a solid stretch of play in the opening quarter that turned an early 7-0 deficit into a 13-9 hole.

Yet starting with Juan Hopkins’ jumper at the 2:37 mark of the opening quarter, James Monroe scored nine unanswered points to end the first period. That stretch also featured an Eli Allen jumper, Owen Jackson’s layup and Josh Burks’ three-pointer, allowing the Mavericks to lead 22-9.

“They’re one of the best teams in the state regardless of class,” Cameron head coach Tom Hart said of the Mavericks.

Before the second quarter was 1 minute old, Allen had four points up his team’s lead to 17, and the Dragons were unable to slow the Mavericks’ momentum for the entirety of that period.

Cameron missed all 10 of its field-goal attempts in the second quarter, while Jackson scored nine points over the final 5:39 of the quarter. James Monroe held the Dragons scoreless in the frame and went to halftime with a decisive 42-9 advantage.

“Our goal was to put pressure out front so hopefully they couldn’t get into their offense,” Sauvage said. “Their half court offense is pretty tough.”

The Mavericks outscored the Dragons 14-0 in paint points during the third quarter to lead 62-18 with 8 minutes left.

That enabled Sauvage to empty his bench early and provide potentially valuable rest to the Mavericks’ starting five and top reserves.

Allen still managed a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds, while adding eight steals.

“We’ve worked in practice on picking on pressure. The more steals we get, it makes us want to play defense even more,” Allen said.

Jackson scored 15 points off the bench and came up with four steals, while Burks and Collin Fox contributed 10 points apiece.

“What he brings off the bench is great for us. Owen’s been valuable this year. He’s really stepped it up,” Sauvage said. “You want to be playing your best at this time and I feel he’s doing that.”

The Mavericks finished with 50 paint points and a 30-10 advantage in points off turnovers. They had 12 turnovers to Cameron’s 27.

“We thought we could mix up between man and zone between them to try to keep them off balance,” Hart said. “We had some quick turnovers and they got out in transition. Turnovers hurt us at the beginning and we missed some shots inside. We took more jump shots instead of attacking the rim. We had to play catchup from there and couldn’t get anything to fall in the second quarter, which really widened the game out.”

Cole Burkett paced the Dragons with 13 points and four steals.

Cameron made only 13-of-58 shots, including 1 for 19 from on threes.

“We love the defensive end and that’s what we thrive on,” Sauvage said. “Sometimes I catch myself being a spectator on the defensive end instead of a coach, because it’s fun to watch.”

(James Monroe postgame press conference)





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