Wildcats Outmuscle Chantilly 66-62
Chantilly's Kethan Savage and Centreville's Warren Denny battled each other all night at Chantilly Friday night. Denny led all scorers with 29 points, and added 11 boards for the Double-Double. Savage led the Chargers with 14 points.
Photo By Yvette Gagnon \ Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
Centreville's Bobby Warhurst looks to pass inside, over Chantilly's Adam Fridy, in the Wildcats' win over the Chargers Friday night. Warhurst contributed 12 points in the victory, and Centreville and Chantilly now find themselves tied for 2nd place in the tough Concorde District race.
Photo By Yvette Gagnon \ Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
Chantilly's Matt Howerton helped provide muscle down low for the Chargers Friday night, but Centreville prevailed in the much-physical match-up of two Concorde District rivals.
Photo By Yvette Gagnon \ Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
GAMEDAY RECAP
By CHRIS BARRON
CHANTILLY, VA - In a battle of two Concorde District powers Friday night in Chantilly, the Centreville Wildcats defeated the Chantilly Chargers 66-62, in a crucial Concorde District tilt. The Chargers came into the night needing a win to keep hold of their shared lead in the district, while the Wildcats, coming off of a tough overtime loss to the Herndon Hornets earlier in the week, were needing a victory to stay in the hunt. Both teams came out fast and played physical, but it would be Chantilly who took the four-point advantage after the 1st eight minutes, 15-11.
The Wildcats, however, dominated the 2nd quarter, outscoring Chantilly 20-12 in the frame to take the 31-27 lead at halftime, but it was Devin Ballam's half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer that got the crowd believing momentum may have, again, swung their way.
The Chargers, indeed, carried that momentum into the 2nd half, firing three long range 3-point shots inside of the 1st minute of play, with Centreville unable to answer the barrage. Add to that a stifling full-court press the Wildcats hadn't seen all game, and Chantilly seemed to take control on home court.
But after a quick Centreville time-out, the Wildcats regrouped, and were able to eventually pull even, utilizing their own full-court pressure, and running their fast break offense to near perfection, retook the lead midway through the 3rd.
Leads would change seven times throughout the course of the contest before Centreville finally pulled away with under a minute remaining in the game, and held off a final Chantilly rush to take home the 66-62 victory, and are now tied with Chantilly for the #2 spot in the district race, behind the Herndon Hornets.
For Chantilly, their points were scattered through several players. The Chargers were led by Kethan Savage with 14 points, and John Manning, Matt Howerton, and Jamie Danehower each added 10. Adam Fridy and Devin Ballam both had 8 for Chantilly.
Senior Warren Denny added 11 rebounds to his game high 29 points for Centreville. He had 11 of those 29 in the decisive 4th quarter. He hit 4 shots from inside the arc and 4 shots from 3-point land and converted 9 of his 13 shots from the free-throw line. Denny collected his 9th "Double-Double" of the year.
The Wildcats got many contributions from their other four starters including senior guard Nick Tisinger who chipped in with a team high 7 assists to go along with his 5 steals, 3 points, and 0 turnovers. Senior Bobby Warhurst put in 12 points and 7 rebounds. Chris Campbell pitched in with 7 points and 5 rebounds. Junior Forward Cameron Owens had 11 points with 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Centreville was able to convert on 9 of its 12 free-throws in the 4th to close out the game in the jam-packed gymnasium at Chantilly High School.
With the victory, Centreville improves to 11-2, 2-1 in the district, and will now face the Oakton Cougars at home on Tuesday night. Chantilly (9-5, 2-1) will travel to take on the Westfield Bulldogs on Tuesday.
PLAYMAKERS OF THE GAME
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Warren Denny - Senior Guard, Centreville Wildcats
Denny collected his 9th "Double-Double" of the season, scoring 29 points and snagging 11 rebounds. He converted 9 of 13 foul shout attempts, and it was in part by his quickness with the ball, beating the Chantilly press, that the Wildcats secured victory at Chantilly Friday night.
Kethan Savage - Junior Guard, Chantilly Chargers
Savage led the Chargers with 14 points on the night, was a perfect 3-3 at the foul line, and engaged in a physical battle with Centreville's Denny all night. Savage's defense was key in the Chargers retaking leads several times in the game.
