Maury turns up the intensity in victory

Green Run can’t recover after rough start to the game

NORFOLK — After Maury lost to Woodside on Tuesday night in the Class 5 Region B boys title game, Commodores coach Brandon Plummer felt that his team lacked playoff intensity and had the wrong mindset.

Three days — and a few tough practices — later, the Commodores

had the proper mindset.

Maury broke out early and never let up en route to a 50-39 victory over Green Run in a Class 5 state quarterfinal Friday at Norfolk State’s Echols Hall.

So what did Plummer tell his players?

“We’re going to be a little bit tougher and we’re going to be more aggressive,” Plummer said. “I don’t care about anyone crying or getting mad. Whatever we need to do to get a little tougher, that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Commodores were more aggressive attacking the basket on offense, hitting the glass on both ends of the court and playing defense.

“We had to go back into the gym and really put some work in, and I had to tighten the screws up on some people, actually the whole team, to come back with that tenacious defense and that urgency of wanting to win,” Plummer said.

Maury (20-5) scored the game’s first eight points and by late in the second quarter led 22-11.

Green Run coach Kenneth Harris said the Stallions’ rough start was the key to the game.

“It started off with that first quarter, where we couldn’t put the ball in the hole,” Harris said. “We were playing good defense, but we were playing defense too much. We were giving them a lot of possessions. They were holding us to one shot and they were getting second chances, and that wears you down.”

The Commodores didn’t let up after halftime, opening the third quarter with an 11-4 run for a 35-17 lead.

After a timeout, Green Run stepped up its pressure and held Maury without a basket for 6:22. The Stallions rallied and cut the deficit to 35-30 with 4:40 left. Kass Jackson, who led the Stallions

with 12 points, keyed the run with five points — all on free throws — and Tre Miller added four.

The Commodores, though, solved the Stallions’ pressure, pushed the lead back to double digits and cruised to the victory.

“We just stayed together and finished the game because we knew where we wanted to get to,” said Maury’s Casey Jones, who had 14 points.

Evan Taylor also had 14 points for Maury, which will go to Heritage High in Newport News on Monday night for its rematch with Woodside in a state semifinal.