Boys' Basketball Notebook
In Montgomery, Whitman Takes Next Step
Wednesday, January 11, 2006; Page E10
When Whitman knocked off Sherwood on Monday, the Vikings not only won their fifth straight game and handed the Warriors their first loss, they validated their place among Montgomery County's top teams.
The Vikings (8-2, 3-2 Montgomery County 4A East) had not yet defeated one of the county's contenders, losing their previous two opportunities in gut-wrenching fashion. On Dec. 20, they lost in overtime to No. 16 Magruder, 63-55, and then dropped a 48-45 decision to No. 17 Springbrook three days later.
"We told the guys after the Springbrook game there's one of two ways to go," Coach Chris Lun said. "We can put our heads down and get beaten again or move forward, learn from it and play team ball."
Rallying behind guard Mike Gruner, who is averaging 21.6 points, Whitman followed up the Springbrook loss with two convincing victories to win the Edgewood Holiday tournament.
Monday, Gruner scored a career-high 33 points in the 72-57 victory over Sherwood (9-1, 4-1). But Lun pointed to his eight assists as his biggest contribution. Gruner is averaging five assists and keeps his teammates involved in the offense. Six players have scored in double figures this season and four players have scored 20 or more points in a game.
"The thing about Mike is that when he takes over a game, it's not him scoring and just forcing up shots," Lun said. "It's him setting up guys for easy layups. I've never seen a guy who makes more people around him better. He's the least selfish guy I've ever coached."
South Lakes Rolling
One word is all South Lakes Coach Wendell Byrd needed to explain his team's recent hot streak: time.
With no senior starters, the Seahawks could expect an early-season adjustment period. That seems to be over now. A preseason favorite in the Virginia AAA Northern Region, South Lakes (8-4, 5-0 Liberty District) lost three straight in early December, but has since won seven of eight, including a 13-point win over district rival W.T. Woodson on Monday night. Byrd also has been able to expand his rotation from six to 10 players.
During their trip to South Carolina for the Dorman Christmas Classic, Seahawks players bonded over shared rooms and meals. "You could see the spark developing," Byrd said.
South Lakes received another boost Friday when junior forward J.P. DePaso returned to the lineup after missing five games with a foot injury. DePaso is the primary complement to 6-foot-10 forward Julian Vaughn (17.9 points per game), one of the top-ranked juniors in the country.
A First for Ryken
St. Mary's Ryken might soon be losing its biggest advantage -- and that's all right with the Knights.
In their third full season in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, the Knights finally won a league game last Friday, 53-44 over Bishop Ireton. With a 6-1 overall record heading into last night, the Knights might have shaken their label of conference pushovers.
"I think we're taking advantage of [WCAC] teams who think they'd get their two automatic wins against us," Coach Danny Sancomb said. "This was a big win for our school.
"Our best game last year, and still we couldn't be competitive with anyone in this league."
The Knights (1-1 WCAC) bolstered their roster with a trio of Eastern European senior transfers this season, but they were sparked Friday by senior guard Greg Brown, who is in his fourth year in the program. Brown hit two fourth-quarter three-pointers en route to his team-high 18 points.
Another boost will come tomorrow, when 6-foot-7 junior forward John Flowers, a skilled perimeter player who transferred from Thomas Stone, becomes eligible.
"That will help us a great deal," Sancomb said. "To be 6-1 without him, we'll have confidence now going into the rest of our games."
Staff writer Alan Goldenbach contributed to this report.
