Clinch Mountain District Boys Standings Tighten After VHS Win Over Gate City

BRISTOL, Va. – Gate City has won seven straight district titles with a formula based on defensive pressure. Virginia High found the antidote Friday.

Relying on an aggressive transition game, rebounding and balanced scoring, VHS stopped the Blue Devils, 58-45.

VHS (14-5, 5-2) trails GC (12-7, 5-1) by just one game in the Clinch Mountain District standings. VHS closes out CMD play Wednesday at John Battle, while GC travels to Lebanon (16-3, 4-2) Wednesday before hosting Lee on Friday.

“Gate City is just such a good team,” VHS coach Jason Stevens. “To beat them says a lot about my kids.”

While many of their peers were enjoying a snow break from school this week, the Bearcats polished their strategy with intensive two-hour practice sessions.
That preparation was evident Friday, as VHS opened a 29-12 with five minutes left in the first half.

“Everybody on our team was feeling it and we just got on a roll,” VHS senior guard Corey Young said. “That was a priceless feeling.”

Behind the creative drives of CMD scoring leader Tihlee Anderson, GC chopped the deficit to 35-33 early in the third quarter.

“I was worried,” Stevens said. “You know [Gate City] is going to come back at you. That’s why they go to the state playoffs every year.”

Virginia High answered the rally with some effective defense of its own. The Bearcats held potent sophomore Jordan Potts to a season-low three points, while Anderson was handicapped after collecting his fourth foul early in the final quarter.

“We didn’t want to let Potts score,” Stevens said. “Tihlee is going to get his points, but we wanted to limit what everybody else did."

Six-foot-nine GC senior Josh Johnson, who underwent knee surgery just before Thanksgiving in 2008, made his first appearance of the season but saw limited playing time.
Seniors Josh Tignor (17 points), Josh Moore (13) and Young (12) all reached double figures for VHS. Junior guard Joey Gibson scored 12 points, and 6-5 senior Ahmad Eccleston led the interior defense.
Gate City coach Scott Vermillion pointed to the hustle of VHS.

“We were outplayed in transition and on defense,” Vermillion said. “It was just a case of Virginia High wanting it more than we did, and they took it.”

Vermillion said his team failed to adjust to the crafty zone-based defensive alignment of VHS.

“We’ve seen that look before,” Vermillion said. “We just didn’t do a good job against it. I’m disappointed in the way I coached.”

The Blue Devils posted a perfect 8-0 mark en route to last year’s CMD crown.

Young hopes the best is yet to come for VHS.

“We’re getting better with each game and playing up to our potential,” Young said. “We just have to stay poised now and keep improving.”

GATE CITY (45) – Johnson 2, Potts 3, Smith 13, Anderson 21, Arwood 4, Hughes 2. Totals 16 11-16 45.
VIRGINIA HIGH (58) – Young 12, Tignor 17, Mink 4, Gibson 10, Eccleston 2, Moore 13. Totals 26 13-20 58.
Gate City 11 12 13 9-45
Virginia High 21 12 12 13-58
3-point goals – GC 2 (Smith, Anderson), VHS 5 (Young 2, Tignor, Gibson 2). Total fouls-GC 20, VHS 15. Fouled out-Anderson. JV game-GC won.

VHS 37, Gate City 23

The maturation of Savanah Pippin continues.

Entering Friday, the 6-foot-1 sophomore averaged a CMD-best 15.2 points along with 10 rebounds and four blocks game.
Pippin supplied 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the latest VHS win.

“I never thought I would be leading the district in scoring this early,” who collected 17 rebounds in a game earlier this season. “I’m having a lot more fun this year because I was still adjusting to the varsity level as a freshman.
“I’ve been working on developing my inside and outside games, and I’m trying to get stronger. The extra work has helped.”

VHS (12-6, 5-2) is second in the CMD standings behind Lee, which clinched the regular season title Friday by defeating Lebanon.

The Bearcats used full-court, man-to-man pressure to open a 33-13 advantage against the young Blue Devils.

“Kids these days don’t like to play that type of defense,” VHS coach Barry Reed said. “We don’t play the kind of defense that we’ve had in the past, but we still do a pretty good job.”

Kendra Smith supplied 10 rebounds for VHS, while Fallon Smith added eight rebounds and six steals.
Gate City (4-15, 1-5) was led by Autumn Richards with nine points.

GATE CITY (23) – Starnes 3, Evans 3, Clark 1, Horner 2, Byrd 2, Vermillion 3, Richards 9. Totals 6 9-18 23.
VIRGINIA HIGH (37) – Delapp 3, Hutt 6, Thomas 2, Collins 2, Pippin 14, H. Smith 4, K. Smith 2, Evans 4. Totals 16 5-9 37.
Gate City 2 5 4 12-23
Virginia High 6 9 16 6-37
3-point goals – GC 2 (Starnes, Evans), VHS none. Total fouls-GC 11, VHS 14. Fouled out-none.

agregory@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2544