By BRIAN WOODSON
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WELCH — Mount View’s reward for defeating James Monroe in the Region 3, Section 2 tournament opener on Friday night is a semifinal matchup with Bluefield on Monday.
Ellis Bryson knows what the Golden Knights must do.
“Just play hard, give it everything we have got to the last quarter, the last minute,” said Bryson, who had a game-high 17 points in the Golden Knights’ 66-51 win over the Mavericks on Ergie Smith Court. “We just have to play as hard as we can, that is all we have got to do.”
They played hard against the Mavericks, taking the ball inside when possible. When it wasn’t possible Bryson made it happen on his own.
“I just played my hardest, just gave it everything I have got and just played hard, that is all,” Bryson said. “I just try to attack the boards and try to get everything we can and try to be able to score and win the game.”
The 6-foot-1 junior scored eight of his nine first quarter points off offensive rebounds to keep the Knights within 20-15 after one period. Bryson, along with several of his teammates, were terrors all night on the boards.
“I thought we kind of got off to a slow start, I thought Ellis Bryson did a heck of a job of rebounding and scoring inside to keep us in the game early,” Mount View coach Gary Brown said. “We kind of picked it up a little bit after that.
“Everybody had to contribute and I thought everybody did. We were a little lax sometimes defensively — I didn’t like some of the things that we did — but overall we stuck in there and we got the win.”
James Monroe (7-11), which lost twice to Mount View during the regular season, including a one-point overtime decision at home, started fast, led by a pair of 3s from Clay Havens and six points by Landon Shires, but stronger Golden Knights controlled the boards on both sides of the court.
“They definitely hurt us on the offensive glass and that is what we told our kids coming in, they are good athletes,” James Monroe coach Jonathan McPherson said. “I thought we did better in the second half, especially in that third quarter to stop those second chance points.
“Mount View is a good team, they really are. They can go far if their shots are falling and they are crashing the boards like that they are pretty tough.”
While Mount View (8-14) tried to take the ball inside, they did connect for four 3s, including a trey from Joseph Hayes to put the Knights up to stay at 31-28, and still led 32-28 at the break. That margin grew to 49-40 before 3s by Shires and Havens pulled the Mavericks to within 51-48 with 5:01 left in the game.
The fourth quarter has been a problem this season at times for the Golden Knight, but not on this night.
“It was the intensity,” Bryson said. “We brought the intensity up a little in the fourth quarter and that kind of helped us out to win.”
That, and free throws. Kobe Brown, who will have knee surgery on Monday and won’t play against Bluefield, made two key plays, a baseball pass to Marquis Bonds for a basket and added a 3-pointer of his own, The Knights were also 12 of 14 shooting from the free throw line, pushing the margin to 15 over the cold-shooting Mavericks, who were the victims of a 12-0 run.
James Monroe did make eight 3s, including three by Havens, who joined Shires with 13 points apiece. Caleb Spencer added 12 for the Mavericks.
“They shot very well from the free throw line. I kept telling the boys we are taking good shots, they are just not falling right now, we have just got to continue taking them,” McPherson said. “Some of those late shots went in for them and didn’t go in for us and it happens like that sometimes, but I really thought our effort was great tonight, I really did.
“You hate to end the season, but you want to end it knowing you gave it your all and I felt like they did that.”
Bryson was joined in double figures by Bonds, who had 12 points, and 10 each for Kobe Brown and K.J. Brown. Hayes joined Kobe Brown with two 3s apiece. Mount View played without guard Sidney George, who is also questionable for Monday’s semifinal game with Bluefield with a badly sprained ankle.
Mount View has lost twice to the Beavers this season, a competitive 16-point loss in Welch, which was followed by a 42-point road setback that Gary Brown would rather forget about.
“We played them once, the second time I think we stayed on the bus,” said Brown, with a smile. “You have got to play hard, they are a great team, they always come after you with everything that they have, they are well-coached, it is going to be a tough battle for us.
“We are hoping we are mentally ready to play them. We have just got to handle the ball better, I think we had close to 30 turnovers the last time we played them so if we do that we will be out of it early.
“That is going to be the key. If we can handle the pressure and get some shots early and maybe get a little confidence maybe we will be able to play with them.”
bwoodson@bdtonline.com
/ Twitter @bdtwoodson

at The Castle
JAMES MONROE (7-11)
Caleb Spencer 5 0-0 12, Lance Wilson 3 0-0 7, Dakota Copenhaver 1 0-0 2, Landon Shires 5 1-2 13, Clay Havens 5 0-0 13, Jaylon Lewis 2 0-0 4, Dylan McMahan 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 1-2 51.
MOUNT VIEW (8-14)
Demoni Edwards 1 5-6 7, K.J. Brown 2 6-8 10, Joseph Hayes 2 0-0 6, Ellis Bryson 6 5-7 17, Jaquane Imes 1 2-2 4, Marquis Bonds 5 2-4 12, Kobe Brown 2 4-4 10. Totals 19 24-31 66.
James Monroe...............20 8 15 8 — 51
Mount View....................15 17 17 17 — 66
3-point goals: JM 8 (Havens 3, Shires 2, Spencer 2, Wilson 1); MV 4 (Hayes 2, Ko.Brown 2). Total fouls: JM 17; MV 11. Fouled out: Copenhaver. Technical: Wilson.