AM
Galax at Tazewell
Galax (79) Vs. Tazewell (54)
Jan 04, 2012
By JONATHAN GREENE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
TAZEWELL, Va. — The Tazewell Bulldogs’ schedule has plenty of bite.
The Bulldogs were challenged by another tough opponent when the defending Group A, Division 1 champion Galax Maroon Tide rolled in.
The Maroon Tide (4-0) scored game’s first points on a pre-game technical to start the game and never trailed as they defeated Tazewell 79-56 on Wednesday night.
“I watched them at states last year and they’re a good ball club,” Tazewell head coach Lee Walker said. “I didn’t want to tell my kids that before, but they’re a good club. They’re athletic.
“Our kids played well in spurts and came back. I think we have a good bunch. Hopefully by seeing that tonight, we’ll be ready next time.”
Christian Lewis led the Bulldogs (6-3) with 21 points. He connected on three of Tazewell’s nine three pointers. Blake Hash and Colin Hancock joined him with three apiece as well.
The biggest difference in the game was Galax’s ability to get second and third chances with the majority of their points coming in the paint.
“That hurt us,” Walker said. “They got a good club that rebounds. They’re long and athletic. We have to box out. We didn’t do that tonight. Hopefully, we get that together.”
Austin Pack started the game with two free throws after the Bulldogs were caught dunking in pre-game warm-ups which give Galax a 2-0 advantage before a second came off the clock.
Pack followed those free throws with a three-pointer before Ryan Hankins got Tazewell on the board. A Deion George putback and Pack fastbreak dunk expanded the lead to 9-2 just over two and half minutes in.
Galax would close out the quarter with a 12-5 run thanks to two lay-ups by George, a lay in from Lawrence Parsons and a Devante McKinney putback.
“The biggest thing is we have to work on hitting some outside shots,” Galax head coach Verl Brown said. “We feel like we have three good big guys inside, but we have to make some tries outside to keep it open. Right now, we’re behind because of football. I was pleased with our running tonight, especially early in the game.”
The second quarter saw Tazewell begin to find some rhythm on offense particularly from Lewis.
After the Maroon Tide extended the lead to 27-9, Lewis had two straight putbacks to get the Bulldogs going.
The teams traded buckets before a Hankins’ lay-up started a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to 34-24 at the half.
“I told this bunch earlier I’d take them anywhere and go to bat with them,” Walker said. “I still mean that. We got a good bunch of kids.
“They fight hard. We’ve got some obstacles to overcome, but I think altogether, I’ve got a great group of kids.”
The Bulldogs offense continued to show signs of life as Hash hit two of his three pointers while Lewis and Hancock added one of their own in the third quarter.
The only problem was, Galax matched them point for point and the margin remained 10, 55-45, after three quarters.
John Walker started the fourth with a turnaround jumper for Tazewell, but the Maroon Tide took over from there.
Parsons started the run with a dunk which was followed an Eddie Hanks three pointer and three more lay-ups — two on the fastbreak by Pack and one by Hanks — to make it 66-47 with 5:49 remaining.
“They’re a good defensive ball club,” Walker said. “They play aggressive upfront especially with those bigs in the back who can block and alter shots. That allows them to be aggressive.”
The Bulldogs were limited to just nine points in the quarter as Galax’s lead grew to its final margin of 23 points.
“Our biggest concern is trying to get over our football season and getting games in,” Brown said. “Win or lose, I just want to play. I’m not concerned about right now as I am trying to get this team ready for down the road. We’re taking it one game at a time.
“A lot of people think we’ve got the team to come back and repeat, but I don’t. We’re missing some guys from last year, but we’ve got a good bunch of boys. Once we get our legs, I think we’ll really be explosive.”
Pack and Parsons each had 18 points for the Maroon Tide. McKinney added 13 while George and Hankins both finished with 12.
Hash was the only other Bulldog in double figures besides Lewis. He had 11 points. Hancock had nine points — all coming on three pointers. Noah Walker was limited to six points.
Tazewell will look to rebound Friday when they visit Carroll County, while Galax will visit Graham on the same night.
— Contact Jonathan Greene
at jgreene@bdtonline.com

at Tazewell Middle School
GALAX (4-0)
Dante Peoples 4, Eddie Hanks 12, Austin Pack 18, Deion George 12, Devante McKinney 13, Lawrence Parsons 18, Timmy Gable 2.
TAZEWELL (6-3)
Christian Lewis 21, Blake Hash 11, Colin Hancock 9, John Walker 4, Jalen Jordan 3, Ryan Hankins, Noah Walker 6.
Galax......................21 13 21 24 — 79
Tazewell...................7 17 21 9 — 56
3pt field goals: GAL 4 (Hanks 2, Pack 2); TAZ 9 (Lewis 3, Hash 3, Hancock 3).
Nightly Roundup
Game Scoreboard
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 OT SCORE
Galax 21 13 21 24 0 79
Tazewell 7 17 21 9 0 54
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