HurricaneWarning 212 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 ABINGDON, Va. – Abingdon basketball coach B.J. Lasley has posited that Mack Owens could be one of Southwest Virginia’s premier post players. Not many folks in the Abingdon High School gymnasium on Tuesday night would contest that claim. Owens’ 40-point effort allowed the Falcons to overcome a double-digit first-half deficit to defeat Virginia High, 77-71, in non-district play. Owens dominated the boards as well on both offense and defense. “I just knew I could do good things if I could get my hands on the ball,†Owens said of the effort. “Our coaches stressed just getting the ball to a wing or where we can get an easy slip and get it into the paint for easy points.†“Mack has all the ability in the world and you have to give him a lot of credit,†Lasley said. “He’s worked extremely hard to have a chance to go out there and score 40.†The 6-foot-4 senior earned 14 of his 40 from the free-throw stripe, an area of his game the big man said is a work in progress early this season. “The first two games of our season I was shooting very poorly,†he said. “… Through the weekend and Monday at practice I shot a lot of free throws.†Virginia High’s squad came out hot, putting together a 13-3 run to start the game, sparked by the play of quick-footed point guard Derrick Lee. “He’s a two-year starter for us and I expect that out of him every night,†Virginia High coach Wayne Rasnick said. “He’s a great point guard.†The Bearcats (1-3) also received 22 points from Nick Howard and 19 from Zach Bossard, many of which came from fast break opportunities facilitated by Lee, who finished with 18 points of his own. “We got hit in the mouth at the beginning of the game and we just had to fight back slowly and get stops,†Owens said. “We had heard some things that they weren’t playing so great, and I think it kind of got in our minds that we could come out and walk all over them.†Lasley attributed the early run to lethargy on his team’s part. “We didn’t have a lot of energy early. We didn’t play very hard,†the Falcons’ coach said. Abingdon fought back to within one point in the second quarter and trailed the 35-32 heading into halftime. That deficit was erased on the second half’s opening possession with a Josh Hess 3-pointer from the right elbow that lit a fire under the previously silent Abingdon crowd. Hess ended up with 11 points. The Falcons outscored Virginia High 29-14 in the third quarter, assuming control of the game for good. Owens, who scored 21 of his 40 points in the second half, was able to score almost at will despite being double-teamed for most of the half. He noted that a rivalry has been brewing between the schools for a number of years now. “They’ve always played us very, very tough,†the senior said. “They beat us twice last year and my sophomore year they beat us once. … I just wanted to come out and show my dominance and try to get a win for Abingdon.†Owens certainly did assert his dominance in the fashion of a career night. “I’ve had like 30, 32 but I’ve never gotten around 40,†he added. GIRLS Abingdon 50, Virginia High 36 Madison Turner scored a team-high 11 points, leading the Falcons (1-0) to victory. Her teammates Kayla Hilt and Taylor Blevins tacked on 10 points apiece as Abingdon’s defensive effort forced multiple turnovers and led to points through the transition offense. “Our guards are out there playing hard and they’re really setting the tempo for us,†Abingdon coach Jimmy Brown said. “… We want to get up and down the floor this year.†Savannah Jacobs led the Bearcats with 12 points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 Seems like VHS is having a rough start. It really surprised me seeing them lose the first game at the JSB tournament, then to find out that they got 6th place in that tournament (out of 8), and now this. Maybe they're still adjusting (didn't look like they had really great team chemistry in the tournament). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshreeves 37 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 Seems like VHS is having a rough start. It really surprised me seeing them lose the first game at the JSB tournament, then to find out that they got 6th place in that tournament (out of 8), and now this. Maybe they're still adjusting (didn't look like they had really great team chemistry in the tournament). I'm surprised by their start as well. Last night they came out very strong and looked solid but had no answer for Owens. I think VHS will be a tough out come district play time. Point guard Lee is fun to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coachm 21 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 No recruits for VHS this year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigfootballfan 10 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 They will be fine, still gelling some and played a great game with 4 sick kids Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted Account 5,203 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 No one's mentioning that a player scored 40 points?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasDenton 79 Report Share Posted December 5, 2012 I'm surprised by their start as well. Last night they came out very strong and looked solid but had no answer for Owens. I think VHS will be a tough out come district play time. Point guard Lee is fun to watch. That's what I'm thinking. They'll be tough later on in the season. They started off really strong against Cloudland too in the JSB tournament, but fell apart in the second half. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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