Northside HS, Roanoke, VA –
If you’re a basketball fan, it’s hard to beat a good old fashioned ‘donnybrook’ between area basketball rivals like Cave Spring and Northside. Even though they’re only 12 miles apart, typically they play in different districts. This ‘pandemic’ year, however, Roanoke County Schools are playing each other in a round robin, regular season. Last night, their battle was also a round robin of sorts, as Northside held off a second half run by the visiting Knights to win 61-54.
Early runs highlighted the contest. Cave came out hot and put up a 10-0 lead on the board. However, Coach Bill Pope’s Vikings regrouped and ran off twenty eight unanswered. What?!?.. that’s right, twenty-eight. Knight head coach Jacob Gruse had seen it before, “It was a game of runs, (that’s) typically how it is, and Covid basketball really isn’t that pretty.” This is an unusual season on many fronts 
but Gruse gave the Vikings all the ‘props.’ He felt like his club also left some points out there on the court, “Credit to Northside. they played really well. We played well at times. There are some things that’ll burn me when I watch film. Fifty-fifty balls… I think they won every one of them, and we were terrible from the free throw line.” On the other side of the ledger, Pope couldn’t recall a game over his years that started like this one, “Yeah, a crazy start. I can’t remember one like that. They came out absolutely on fire up 10-0. I don’t know how many we ended up running off… but we really got going.” Northside got it going and kept it’s distance from Cave in the end to get to the win.
Cave F 14 Stark Jones hits an early jumper
First Half –
Offensively, the Knight’s run was all G 14 Stark Jones. The Sophomore came out firing and the first eight points were his, two threes and two field goals. Fellow 6’8” Sophomore F 24 Dylan Saunders added one of his two, first quarter buckets to round out that ten to zip run. But if you’ve watched Northside Vikings under Coach Pope over the years, you know they don’t panic. F 23 Jamison Foley got the Vikes going with a barrage of three pointers. G 10 Ayrion Journiette did his part with two threes and three fieldgoals. Twenty eight points later Northside had
Ayrion Journiette finishes
Viking F 23 Jamison Foley works inside
an 18-point lead. Pope probably summarized good scorers best, “The best scorers will score the most if you have an unselfish group. Guys know better than anyone else who the best scorers are. If we move the ball and look for the best shots those guys will score.” Unselfish is one thing that distinguishes a Bill Pope team. Northside shot a blistering seventy one percent, hitting five shots on seven attempts from behind the arc and 6/9 on field goals in that first quarter.
Cave C 24 Dylan Saunders eyes two points
F 10 Journiette added an exclamation point by draining a three pointer on a kickout as time ran out on the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Northside cooled off some, but maintained a sizeable, fifteen point at the half. Both teams began to work the ball more inside as the game moved on. Coach Gruse lamented on not putting shots away inside, “We need to finish better through contact and get some “and ones” (draw the foul and make the shot)… I think that was a big difference in the game.” The Vikings finished the second quarter just like they did the first. This time G 10 Lawrence Cole did the honors as time expired, knocking down a three.
Cave’s F 24 Saunders prepares to shoot free throws
Second Half – Cave Spring regrouped at half and made a run at the Vikes. Down 39-24, the Knights pressured more shots, drew charges on drives, and began to work the ball inside offensively. Cave worked their plan and with 5:11 left in the third had cut the Viking lead to ten at 42-32. By the end of the third, Cave had reduced the Viking lead to four, 48-44. Eight points each in the paint by F 24 Saunders and F 12 Bryce Cooper helped reduce the margin.
Gruse thought that if the Knights could get close enough then maybe they could pull out the win. “We were really hoping to get it back to a one possession game. But credit to Northside, they’d hit a big shot or get an offensive rebound. I really thought if we could’ve got it to one possession game, the tide was going to turn in our favor. “
Credit the ballhandlers for both sides throughout the game as well. Northside point guard 20 Q Slash was asked to do much, and much he did. “Q was the untold story, one turnover, played every minute, pressed, ran the offense, distributed the ball. He’s a three year guy, (who) was with me when we won the state… played a key role, does a lot for us,” remarked Pope.
Viking Coach Bill Pope makes a point
On the other side of the ball, G 2 Cameron Bishop was charged with protecting and delivering the ball up the court for the Knights. These ballhandlers don’t get enough credit. At the end of the night, Northside got the win. Gruse, to his credit, was already focusing on the positives, post game, “All in all, first game of the season versus the number three team preseason in the state, not a bad effort.” The Knight’s head man continued,
Journiette gets trapped on the sidelines
Saunders works his way in the paint for two points
“We’ve got a short turnaround time. We play in about twenty hours in Vinton. From there we play Friday on the road and from there we play Monday on the road, four games in seven days.” A pandemic year, no doubt.
Northside (2-0) entertains Glenvar (1-1) at home tonight while Cave Spring (0-1) is on the road again, to take on William Byrd (0-1) in Vinton.
Northside– Journiette 25pts (8-FGs, 2-3ptr, 3/6 FTs) Foley 23pts (5-FGs, 4-3ptr, 1/2 FTs) Cole 9pts (1-FG, 1-3ptr, 4/8 FTs) Slash 2pts (1-FG) Smith 2pts (1-FG)
Cave Spring – Saunders 19pts (5FGs, 1-3ptr, 6/12 FTs) Jones 12pts (4FGs, 1-3ptr, 1/1 FTs) Cooper 9pts (4FGs, 1/5 FTs) Urgo 7pts (4FGs, 1-3ptr, 2/3 FTs) Bishop 3pts (1FG, 1/2 FTs)
