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Chantilly
Chargers complete Season Sweep of Rival Westfield High
School
By
Sean Frye - February
10, 2009
 Chantilly, VA --
Nearly a month ago, the first of a two game series
between archrivals Westfield and Chantilly took place
in thrilling fashion, with Chantilly’s Matt Dewitt
hitting a game-winning 3-pointer with just over a
second left in the game.
That was at
Westfield’s gym, so the Bulldogs traveled up Route
50 to Chantilly High School looking to get revenge.
However, Justin May of the Chargers put up 30 points
on the night to lead the Chargers to a 63-51 victory
over the Bulldogs.
Tailgating, no
parking, and a blackout were just some of the things
leading up to Tuesday night’s game. When the game
started, highly touted Charger center John Manning
opened up the game with a lay-up, making the score
2-0. The Chargers never looked back afterwards, as
they never lost the lead. May quickly made his
presence felt in the game, as he put up eight points
in the quarter. The Chargers lead 18-8 at the end of
the first eight minutes.
The Bulldogs stayed
even with the Chargers in the second quarter with a
balanced offensive effort as well as an intense
defensive effort. However a quick run at the end of
the quarter gave the Chargers a 30-18 advantage at the
end of the half.
One of the keys to
the Chargers’ success in the first half was their
ability to shut down Chris Kearney, as he was held
scoreless in the first half. Kearney however found the
basket in the third quarter, as he put up seven points
in the quarter. Along with six points from Peter
Scanlon, the Bulldogs cut a 12-point deficit at
halftime to 11 points with one quarter to go.
In the fourth
quarter, the Bulldogs began an incredible charge to
hopefully tie the game. Kearney led the way with six
points along with two steals. With 2:33 left in the
game, the score was 52-49 in favor of the Chargers.
However Justin May picked up the Chargers’ slack and
put up 11 points in the quarter to help them pull away
from the Bulldogs for the final time. The final score
ended up being 63-51.
The victory for the
Chargers marks the first time in Concorde District
history that a team has gone undefeated in district
play, a feat that the Scottie Reynolds led Herndon
Hornets could not accomplish.
“It’s a great
accomplishment,” said Charger head coach Jim Smith.
“We just have to take care of business in the
tournament.”
View
from the Coach By:
Thomas Gadson
 Pictured
Chantilly High Head Varsity Coach Jim Smith and
Thomas Gadson of VA Elite Hoops.com
Guard
play will be the key factor for both teams to advance
in the district and state tournaments. Guards are the equivalent of the quarterback in football
and the pitcher in baseball. On the court they control the game at
the point of attack and the first defenders of
their goal. Seeing every move and strategy first hand
from the opposing team the guards must possess the
ability to see and determine what is the best strategy
for leading their team to victory.
As John Manning and
Chris Kearney played a similar game the inside play
was not the determining factor, but as mentioned
earlier the game really came down to the play and
execution of the guards. Justin May season high 30
points (3 3-pointers, and a perfect 5-5 from the foul
line, adding 8 rebounds, 5 steals and 6 assists)
proved to be all what Chantilly needed to capture the
victory.
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