BY TIM HAYES
Bristol Herald Courier
DAMASCUS, Va. – Holston High School head basketball coach Travis Gray says post player Andrew Arrington is playing with some newfound confidence this season. Arrington credits his improvement to being in better shape when the season started.
Whatever the reason, it’s certainly helping his team.
Arrington battled his way to 10 points as Holston opened Hogoheegee District play with a 62-53 victory over Northwood on Tuesday night.
Holston (4-3, 1-0) hit six 3-pointers in the first half en route to opening up a 12-point halftime lead. Meanwhile, Jordan Blevins (14 points) and Arrington controlled the paint in the second half.
The inside-outside formula worked to perfection.
“We just played like a team,” Arrington said. “We made the passes that had to be made, and we made the shots that had to be made. Whenever you get on fire one way, it opens up everything. If you hit 3s it opens up the paint, and if you get points in the paint it opens up 3s. It all works together.”
Arrington has been one of the Hogoheegee District’s most improved players in the early stages of the season. He’s reached double figures in four of the Cavaliers’ seven games.
“Last year, he was just a little clumsy,” Gray said. “But he’s got his balance under him this year. He’s always been a good shooter but never had the confidence. I’ve never seen anybody hustle in the paint more than him. He makes every post player work hard.”
Northwood (4-7, 0-1) played even with Holston during the final three quarters, but couldn’t recover from the early deficit. Ty Frye and Trevor Hagen each had 15 points for the Panthers, who suffered their fifth straight loss.
“We’ve got to get more aggressive,” Northwood coach Chad Bailey said. “It takes four quarters and two halves, and we’re playing maybe one half. It’s frustrating. Take nothing away from Holston, they played well, but we have to match intensity.”
Junior guard Jeffrey Bramlett led Holston with 19 points. Tuesday night’s victory might hold some weight for the Cavs come February in terms of seeding for the Region C, Division 1 tournament.
Arrington certainly peformed like it was a playoff game.
“We’ve been talking about this game over Christmas break and we’ve been psyched about it for a long time,” Arrington said. “We came in ready for this game.”
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