Meade Guides Castlewood To Regional Title As Famous Uncle Watches

BRISTOL, Va. – Ryan Meade honed his basketball skills under the guidance of a famous uncle.
The 5-foot-8 Castlewood senior guard learned how to drive past defenders with either hand, get his shot off in traffic and respond to challenges.

That uncle is former Castlewood and East Tennessee State University athletic legend, Calvin Talford.

“I played with Calvin and my father a lot,” Meade said. “Calvin tried to push me around, but that experience has helped.”

With Talford in attendance at the Bearcat Den on Saturday, Meade scored a game-high 18 points as the Blue Devils stopped Virginia High, 46-25, for the Region D, Division 2 boys championship.
Castlewood (23-3) earned its third straight state quarterfinal berth this season, yet Blue Devil fans had reason to worry Saturday.

In fact, the score was tied at 22-22 with 4:20 left in the third quarter when first-year Castlewood coach Wayne Rasnick gave Meade a message.

“Coach told me to drive to the lane and try to create something,” Meade said. “If they defense closed in on me, I was going to kick it out to my teammates for the open shot.’’

Weaving past multiple VHS defenders, the quick Meade scored eight of his team’s next 10 points as the Blue Devils built a 32-25 after three quarters.
According to Rasnick, it was a matter of careful scripting.

“I took the whole game and broke it up into intervals,” Rasnick said. “Our coaching staff pre-planned it all day long.”

The planning process for Rasnick included alert interior passing and a variety of zone defenses that stymied the Bearcat offense.
Virginia High, which lost to Castlewood in the semifinals last year, was held scoreless in the final quarter.

“It was a frustrating night,” VHS coach Jason Stevens said.

Senior guard Corey Young scored 11 points for VHS, which shot just six free throws.
The frustration culminated in the final minutes, as the Bearcats were hit with three technical fouls.

“We got outcoached and outplayed tonight – big-time,” Stevens said. “[Castlewood] is an excellent team. They had a good game plan and deserved to win.”

For the second consecutive night, the Bearcats (19-8) were forced to play without double-figure scorer Josh Tignor. A family member said that Tignor became light-headed during Tuesday’s tournament win over J.J. Kelly and has been unable to gain medical clearance.

VHS travels to Region C champion James River in the state quarterfinals next weekend, while Castlewood plays host to Region C runner-up Radford.

“I think the last time Virginia High went to state was 1997,” Stevens said. “Nobody expected to go this far, but we’ve worked for it.”

Castlewood, which lost to eventual state champion George Wythe in last year’s quarterfinals, has managed to make another state tournament bid despite the graduation of two 1,000-point scorers.
Versatile junior forward Seth Justice contributed 10 points for the Blue Devils Saturday, while junior post Zach Bush and Ruben Rasnick helped to control the boards. Sharp-shooting senior guard Justin Smith added eight points.

“We’re a total team,” Rasnick said.

Castlewood shot 50 percent from the floor in the first half, while Young kept VHS close with three 3-pointers.

The second half belonged to Meade, who appeared to thrive on the pressure defense and frenzied fans.

“Everybody did a great job of keeping their composure and staying under control,” Meade said.

CASTLEWOOD (46) – Smith 1 5-6 8, Rasnick 2 0-0 4, Collins 1 0-0 2, Justice 4 1-2 10, Meade 6 6-10 18, Bush 1 2-2 4. Totals 15 14-20 44.
VIRGINIA HIGH (25) – Young 4 0-0 11, Mink 0 0-2 0, Gibson 2 0-0 5, Eccleston 0 0-0 0, Moore 2 1-2 6, McCall 1 1-2 3, Arnett 0 0-0 0, Jordan 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 2-6 25.
Castlewood 13 4 15 14–46
Virginia High 5 10 10 0–25
3-point goals – Castlewood 2 (Smith, Justice), VHS 5 (Young 3, Gibson, Moore). Total fouls – Castlewood 6, VHS 19. Technical fouls – VHS coach Stevens, Moore, Jordan.

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