By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
LINDSIDE — Anthony Eades remembered his first visit to play basketball at Lindside, last year as a freshman matching up with James Monroe High School.
“It was a real tough game,” Eades said. “We had to be mentally ready.”
The sophomore sharpshooter was more than ready on Friday night. Eades scored 26 points, 18 in the first half, as the Bluefield Beavers blew away the Mavericks 81-41 on senior night at the JMHS gym.
“It was a crazy environment,” Eades said. “We had to come out ready to play. We couldn’t take them lightly.”
Bluefield head coach Buster Large said about Eades, “He’s playing real well, right now. As good as he’s played this year, he seems to be getting better every game, because he’s getting more mature, with the decisions he’s making with the basketball.”
That showed late in the first half. Eades hit a three-pointer from the key for a 26-13 lead, then stole the ball on James Monroe’s next two possessions, turning the first into a layup as the Beavers ended the half with a 15-0 run.
The Mavericks (13-9) successfully slowed the pace down for the first three minutes, taking their only lead on Zach Hatfield’s long two-pointer at the 6:03 mark. In the remainder of the first quarter, the Beavers picked up the tempo, with steals by K.J. Manns, Harley Trimble and Lykel Collier, plus defensive rebounding and presses that turned the game for good in the visitors’ favor.
James Monroe head coach Jonathan McPherson said the slowdown “was definitely our game plan, because they want to get out and run and score a lot of baskets. I thought we executed pretty well, that first quarter. We just had a few turnovers on that press that we shouldn’t have, and they got some momentum and built that lead by halftime.”
At the end of the first, Bluefield led 13-9 after scoring on six of their eight field-goal tries. James Monroe was 3 for 10. James Monroe got two baskets in the second quarter and by halftime, the Beavers were 13 for 23 from the field and the home team was 5 for 19.
The Mavericks went more than seven minutes without a field goal in a span that bridged the half. Even though bodies were banging at that point and Bluefield’s starters got into foul trouble in the second half, their subs were more than capable of building on the lead, which was 60-31 after three quarters and 40 points at the end of the game.
McPherson said, “I’m just really proud of how we stuck it out and played that second half, as rough as it was with all the fouls that were called. I’m just proud of the effort we gave, and not giving up.”
Large said, “With the lead like we had, we didn’t want to get anything out of control, to get anyone hurt. That was my biggest concern … for both sides.”
Three technical fouls were called in the game, all on James Monroe, as frustration mounted for the home team.
Collier and D.J. Edwards each had five field goals for Bluefield and ended with 18 and 15 points respectively. The Beavers shot 54 percent from the floor (28 of 52) and James Monroe had a 33 percent success rate (15 of 45). Que Amaker and D.J. Edwards each had six rebounds. Eades had three steals and two blocks.
Before the game, James Monroe honored five seniors on the basketball team and a senior cheerleader. McPherson started his five seniors.
McPherson said, “They were kind of emotional … before the game. They just hate to see it end. We’ve had a lot of success this year. And hopefully, this isn’t the end. We’ll be ready for the tournaments.”
Senior Wes Jones, in his final game on the Lindside court, had four of James Monroe’s 15 field goals, including their only trey, and led his team with 11 points. Hatfield and Mark Dixon added seven and eight points respectively. Brad Jackson contributed two blocks. Ryan Bishop, Micah Deskins and Dixon each stole the ball once.
Dixon said about his final home game, “It makes you think about all the games and all the practices you’ve been through. It’s really emotional, but it was fun. I wish we could have come out of here with a win, but I’ve had fun with my teammates and it’s been a good run.”
Large said, “James Monroe is a young team, and that gentleman [McPherson] is doing an outstanding job with the talent he’s got.”
The Mavericks wrapped up their regular season. Bluefield hosts Princeton this evening at Bluefield State College.
Large said playing Princeton less than a day after the hard-fought road game will not pose a readiness problem. “We’re sort of used to it now,” he said. “Tomorrow, we’ve just got to get ready for a huge game.”
— Contact Tom Bone
at tbone@bdtonline.com

At James Monroe High School
BLUEFIELD
K.J. Manns 2 3-5 7, Harley Trimble 1 0-0 2, Lykel Collier 5 7-9 18, Michael Yost 1 1-2 3, Anthony Eades 11 3-4 26, Que Amaker 2 1-2 6, D. J. Edwards 5 5-8 15, Jordan Ponder 1 1-2 3, Trevor Mullins 0 1-2 1. Totals 28 22-34 81.
JAMES MONROE
Ryan Bishop 0 1-4 1, Chastin Wickline 1 1-4 3, Zach Hatfield 3 1-2 7, Mark Dixon 3 2-2 8, Brad Jackson 0 0-4 0, Micah Deskins 1 0-0 2, Wes Jones 4 2-2 11, E.T. Weiss 0 1-2 1, Garrett Mann 2 0-0 4, Clay Hunter 1 2-3 4. Totals 15 10-23 41
Bluefield……………...13 20 27 21 — 81
James Monroe….........9 4 18 10 — 41
Three-point goals: BHS 3 (Collier 1, Eades 1, Amaker 1); JM 1 (Jones 1). Total fouls: BHS 22, JM 22. Fouled out: BHS, Yost. Technical fouls: Hatfield; JM bench; JM coach. JV: James Monroe 49-46