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Hornets Sting 4 Norcom

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style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Final - - Deep Creek 63, #4
class=SpellE>Norcom 56:
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>On Tuesday night in Chesapeake, the Deep Creek Hornets
were looking to spring the upset and did so when they stung the visiting
class=SpellE>Norcom Greyhounds, ranked fourth in the state in Group 4A,
63-56 in a pivotal conference matchup.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Deep Creek, which lost the January 14th matchup to the
Greyhounds in Portsmouth by a count of 64-52, led from wire to wire, though saw
a double-digit lead for much of the evening cut down to two with 31.4 seconds
left when Norcom senior wing
normal'>Antonio Parker drained a three-pointer.
style=> The Hornets responded by scoring the game's
final five points, going 5-of-7 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds.
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Norcom
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
played without the services of sophomore point guard
normal'>Travis Fields. He sat out
with a hand injury. In his place, they
relied even more on Parker and fellow senior
normal'>Troy Locke, who was held to 14 points and battled foul trouble much
of the contest. Parker scored a
game-high 26 points and added 12 rebounds, four assists and five steals.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>What kept the Greyhounds within striking distance was offensive
rebounding. They pulled down 21
offensive rebounds, 13 in the first half alone.
Deep Creek got steady contributions from all over as five different
players scored seven points or more, led by 5-foot-10 senior guard
class=SpellE>D'Andre
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Mullen (17 points, 7 assists) and
6-foot-4 senior wing Marcellis
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'> Perkins (16 points, 9 boards).
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"With Troy, Tony and Fields, Norcom's
a tough team. I've got nothing but
respect for them. We came out here,
competed and this is a good win for us," stated Perkins, playing his first game
back after missing the previous four due to a knee injury.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We're a very hungry team.
style=> We want to build off momentum, take it one
game at a time and keep working hard in practice so that we can keep moving
forward until we reach our goals."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>As Norcom made its comeback,
Mullen hit a pair of crucial three-pointers in the fourth quarter to increase Deep
Creek's lead. The Hornets got up as many
as 14 with 3:58 to play before the Greyhounds reeled off a 15-3 run in a span
of 3:26.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>After beating Lake Taylor the very next night, Deep
Creek moved to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in conference play to stay only one game
back of the Greyhounds and Booker T. Washington in the loss column in 4A-South
Conference 17. Norcom
is 12-5 overall and 5-1 in conference competition.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>For Deep Creek, they've now secured their first winning
season since 2007-08 when they finished 21-6 overall and made it all the way to
the Eastern Region Tournament semifinals, one victory shy of a State Tournament
berth. Their last trip to the Playoffs
came in 1990-91 when they were ousted by West Springfield 50-46 in the
quarterfinals.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>The Hornets have a rich basketball history and numerous
standouts over the years, including current NBA player Michael Scott with the
Atlanta Hawks. Returning the program to
those heights and winning ways has been their goal from the start of this
season.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"It's hard to compete with the Deep Creek history.
style=> It's one of the best in all of South Hampton
Roads Virginia sports history," noted Perkins.
style=> "You always hear graduates come in and talk
about what they used to do and we want to bring it back.
style=> Coach Ricks and the rest of the coaching
staff are really trying to bring it back through hard work, dedication and no
excuses. That's our motto."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'> 
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Player of the Game:
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Deep Creek SG/SF Marcellis Perkins - -
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Considering
it was his first game back from injury, it would've been no surprise to see
Perkins come out a bit rusty. He, along
with Mullen, who could've also been a worthy choice for Player of the Game, set
the tone with their jumpers in the opening minutes.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Having him available to knock down free-throws down the
stretch proved to be enormous, even more so when
normal'>Jorge Concepion, one of their top three
scorers along with Perkins and Mullen, fouled out at the 2:41 mark of the
fourth quarter. Perkins' near double-double
on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line certainly
meant a lot. Playing in front of a few
college coaches, he displayed a pure shooting stroke as well as patience and
smarts on the floor.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We're excited to have Marcellis
Perkins back. He started off the season
doing very well - shooting, rebounding and defending.
style=> Those four games that he didn't play, we
really missed his contributions. He gave
us that we expected and we're pleased with him," stated Deep Creek Head Coach
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Leroy Ricks.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We had a college coach that came by and saw so much
good and he asked me, 'Coach, what do you not like
about him?' I told him that to be
honest, he's too unselfish. Sometimes,
he defers to other people."
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> 
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif";
background:yellow;mso-highlight:yellow'>Keys to Victory:
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>#1
- - Start Fast:
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Before
Norcom ever got settled in,
the Greyhounds trailed 9-2 and soon saw their star Locke on the bench due to
foul trouble. Deep Creek didn't panic
early when Norcom started to apply pressure and made
sure they kept the game played predominantly in the half-court.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"It was about playing our game and not their game,"
Perkins said.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>If Deep Creek doesn't come out shooting 46% through the
first 10 minutes with Nocom going 3-for-16 in the
opening quarter, maybe it's a different outcome.
style=> Their fast start went a long way towards them
pulling out a win.
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
#2 - - Control Norcom's Outside Shooting:
style=>
line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>When the Greyhounds are
hitting on all cylinders shooting the ball, they're one of the very best in
Hampton Roads. Deep Creek invited them
to take some long, quick 3's, and unfortunately for Norcom,
they weren't going in at all.
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Norcom
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
missed their first 14 three-point attempts and went 4-of-27 from long distance
on the night. They kept Locke out of the
paint and made him settle for jumpers, and no one outside of him and Parker did
any damage behind the arc.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We played a matchup zone, slowed them down and made
them take outside shots. That was our
game-plan and it worked for us," stated Perkins.
style=> "Jorge fouling out hurt us, but we're a team,
we kept it together and we pick each other up."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Ricks was comfortable with them shooting from the
perimeter as long as they didn't bludgeon them inside.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"All week, we've been telling the kids we want to work
on strengthening our defense in the paint.
style=> In the six games that we've lost, four of them
we gave up points in the paint too often," he commented.
style=>
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"We reverted back to our matchup zone and emphasized
keeping it out of the paint. I always
tell them no team is going to beat you only shooting jump shots, and fortunately
it fell our way, although they got hot late in the game."
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
#3 - - Find Unsung Heroes:
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Even
though the trio of Perkins, Concepcion and Mullen make the Hornets go, they
knew they needed some impact plays from the supporting cast.
style=> Role players
normal'>Blake Aughtman and
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Tre
normal'> Williamson delivered.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>In the early going, Williamson knocked down a couple of
elbow jumpers and stretched the defense on his way to notching eight points, a
couple boards and two assists.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Tre Williamson is our senior
athlete. He's a football player,
basketball player and just goes as long as we let him go out on the floor,"
Ricks said. "I think he played more
minutes than anybody tonight and he battles in the boards
night in and night out while playing against bigger guys.
style=> He never complains and is a true competitor."
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Aughtman
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
got it done with his hustle, tallying seven points, including three fourth
quarter free-throws, and came up with all six of his rebounds in the game's
final stanza. Two of his offensive
boards extended possessions and prevented Norcom from
getting up a game-tying or game-winning shot at the end.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Blake Aughtman is a 6-foot-3
junior guard/forward, second-year varsity player and he's one of our glue guys,"
remarked Ricks. "He doesn't light up
anybody's highlight film or fill up the stat sheets, but he does those things
that help you win ballgames. He gets the
rebound when you need it, a crucial basket and we can run any of our offensive
sets when he's in the game."
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>As Norcom found out, Deep
Creek becomes even more difficult to defend when others outside the Hornets'
main three weapons convert on their opportunities.
"Verdana","sans-serif"'>"Those are the type of guys that people don't really
pay attention to and they have raw talent, especially Juwan
Shelton, who came down with an injury, but that guy can shoot and we really
missed him tonight," Perkins added.
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> 
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
href="http://vmedia.rivals.com/uploads/914/1512824.WMA">
none;text-underline:none'>Postgame Audio with Deep Creek Coach Leroy Ricks
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
Final Stats:
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Deep
Creek Hornets 63:
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
style=> (11-6; 4-2)
D'Andre Mullen - - 17Pts. 7-10FG, 3-3 3's, 7Ast.
Marcellis
Perkins - - 16Pts. 4-9FG, 8-10FT, 9Reb.
Jorge Concepcion - - 12Pts. 4-8FG, 4-6FT, 6Reb.
(Fouled Out)
Tre Williamson - - 8Pts. 4-7FG, 2Reb. 2Ast
class=GramE>.
Blake Aughtman - - 7Pts. 2-6FG, 3-4FT, 6Reb.
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>Norcom
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> Greyhounds 56:
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'>
(12-5; 5-1)
Antonio Parker - - 26Pts. 8-22FG, 2-8 3's, 6-7FT, 12Reb. 4Ast. 5Stl
class=GramE>.
Troy Locke - - 14Pts. 5-12FG, 2-6 3's, 2-4FT, 5Reb.
Travis Ingram - - 6Pts. 3-10FG, 3Reb. 3Blk.
style='font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Verdana","sans-serif"'> 
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";text-decoration:none;text-underline:
none'>Matthew Hatfield
style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>
serves as State Basketball Analyst for
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style='font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
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style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>, part of the Rivals.com
Network. Check out
href="http://www.twitter.com/hatfieldsports">
normal'>
text-decoration:none;text-underline:none'>Hatfield's Twitter page
style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>
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