No. 2 Maury’s quick start shuts down No. 15 Norview in Eastern District showdown
The Maury Commodores were riding high following their win last week over Miller School of Albemarle, which has one of the top high school basketball programs in the state.
They carried that momentum with them into Friday’s home game against Eastern District rival Norview.
The second-ranked Commodores jumped out to a huge lead, watched the Pilots close the gap and then stepped on the gas as they pulled away with a 56-38 win over No. 15 Norview.
“We just beat a prep school,” said Brian Alexander, who scored a game-high 14 points. “After beating Miller School, we feel like they’re the best competition we’ve played. Now we’re playing schools in our district and we just have to keep it going from here.”
The Commodores (10-0) forced six turnovers in the first quarter to take leads of 10-0 and 20-11.
Norview (8-5) refused to give up.
The Pilots, whose five losses this season have come against ranked opponents in the 757Teamz Top 15, including four in the top five, cut the deficit to five midway through second quarter.
“We knew Norview was going to bring it,” Maury coach Brandon Plummer said. “They’re not going to go away. They’re going to keep fighting and fighting. We know the rivalry between us and we know how bad they want to beat us.”
But Maury, led by Cameron Jones-Hood’s 13 points, went on an 8-1 run in the final four minutes to take a 33-21 halftime lead.
The Pilots wouldn’t recover as the Commodores stretched their lead to 21 in the third quarter. The Commodores also got help from Adrian Newton and Shawn Bell, who scored 13 and 10 points, respectively.
“I told them it’s going to be a game of runs,” Plummer said. “We just had to keep coming back and punching back, somebody’s got to pop.”
This game also was big for the Commodores, who face No. 10 Oscar Smith at 5 p.m. Monday in the Bob Dandridge Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Basketball Challenge at Norfolk State’s Echols Hall.
“This win gives us a lot of confidence,” Alexander said. “Coach gives us the game plan, we just have to follow it.”
Larry Rubama, 757-446-2273, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.
