Monarchs display depth, remain unbeaten with win
NEWPORT NEWS — Whenever Menchville and Kecoughtan meet, expect a battle.
And Friday night was no different as the teams went back and forth in the first half before the second-ranked Monarchs pulled away in the second half to run their unbeaten streak to 15 with a 69-56 win over the sixthranked Warriors.
“One thing about Kecoughtan, I don’t care when we play them, it’s always going to be a good game,” Menchville coach Lamont Strothers said. “So we were prepared. We knew it was going to be a fight.”
The Monarchs (15-0) led 16-9 in the first quarter and extended their lead to 29-17 before the half.
They pushed their lead to 19 midway through the fourth quarter before the Warriors made a late run to make the score respectable.
Menchville did it with balance. Junior guard Jordan Watlington led the Monarchs with 16 points. AJ Clark and Andrew Carter each finished with 11 points. Etienne Strothers and Darien Parke both had 10, and Devin Keasey chipped in with nine points.
Having this kind of depth is crucial now, but more important in the postseason.
“It’s huge,” Strothers said. “I’ve had most of these kids since they were 9 years old, so they understand each other and understand where they are on the court. We got a lot of pieces that we can play. We don’t have any guys who come in and say, ‘I got to come in and get mine.’ They come in for the betterment of the team. They know what we’re playing for.”
What they’re playing for is a state title.
The Monarchs won’t have much time to enjoy this one. They will host No. 7 Woodside on Tuesday night in another big Peninsula District showdown.
“You really can’t overlook no team this year because anything can happen,” said Etienne Strothers, the coach’s son. “You don’t want to come into a game thinking you’re going to win and you get upset. That’s the worst thing that can happen.”
Jadon Pace hit four 3-pointers and finished with 13 points to pace Kecoughtan (12-3), which saw its 10-game winning streak end. Center Kevin Copling chipped in with 10 points and seven rebounds.