Longtime friends Whitacre, Lew help Colonels reach new heights
January 27, 2012
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- Alex Lew couldn't believe it.

It had taken nearly two months of the season, but on Jan. 27 of last year, the James Wood swimmer had finally achieved the state-qualifying time she needed in the 50 freestyle in a meet against St. Maria Goretti in Hagerstown, Md.

There was a catch, though. Because the person timing her hadn't reset her watch before Lew jumped in the pool, her time didn't officially count, even though James Wood had recorded her in state-qualifying time.

Lew was so upset by the news that she didn't want to swim again for the rest of the meet. Fortunately, Kaye Whitacre didn't let that happen.

"Kaye was the one who talked to me," Lew said. "She said, 'Get it out of your head. Go swim your 100 [free], it's coming up soon, and go get your state cut,' and I actually did. She was the one pushing me to get it."

James Wood seniors Lew and Whitacre have been supporting each other since they became best friends on the first day of Kindergarten. And throughout their swimming career, their relationship has taken them to great heights.

"When one of us has a big race, the other is right behind the block with them, saying, 'You're going to get this time, you're going to do it,'" Lew said. "We definitely motivate each other. I think our friendship is very beneficial."

Few area swimmers qualify for the Group AA/A state meet in each of their four years of high school. But if Whitacre can achieve a qualifying time in the 100 breaststroke at tonight's Northwestern District meet at Jim Barnett Park's War Memorial Building (7:45 p.m. start) or qualify at the Region II meet on Feb. 4, both Lew and Whitacre will be in that select group.

Lew and Whitacre have played a huge role in James Wood's successful year. The Colonels' finished second to Sherando in the district regular season, finished with a winning overall record (8-2) for the first time since 2009, and helped a James Wood girls' relay qualify for the state meet for the first time in second-year head coach Kristy Hartbauer's four years with the program.

And they feel they've put in the work - both made adjustments in their training this year - to go out with a bang in the postseason.

January 27, 2012
From Star staff reports

WINCHESTER- Kirsten Ward scored 33 points to lead the Handley girls' basketball team to a 76-63 victory over James Wood Thursday night at Shirley Gymnasium.

The Judges (10-5, 2-3 Northwestern District) held a 31-27 lead at the half, then outscored the Colonels 25-17 in the third quarter to break the game open.

Cassie Alamo added 20 points for Handley.

James Wood (8-8, 1-4) was led by Sarah Callaham (17 points) and Whitney Dick (12).

January 27, 2012
By Kevin Trudgeon

WINCHESTER- For as much hype as the James Wood boys' basketball team has gotten for its fast-paced, high-scoring brand of basketball this year, there may be a another team in town that can do it even better.

Hosting Handley in a Northwestern District contest that was postponed twice due to inclement weather a week earlier, the Colonels watched the Judges beat them at their own game.

Handley forced turnovers. Handley got out in transition. And Handley scored in bunches.

Easily eclipsing their previous season high by 10 points, the Judges topped the century mark in a 102-83 win over James Wood at Shirley Gymnasium Thursday night.

Handley (11-4, 3-2 district) shot 58 percent from the field (45 of 78) and dominated on the boards against the smaller Colonels.

Coming off a loss to Millbrook on Tuesday, the Judges were eager to bounce back and had no problem pushing the tempo against James Wood (6-11, 0-5).

Colonels' new strategy is controlled chaos on the court
January 26, 2012
By KEVIN TRUDGEON

WINCHESTER- Coming of a six-win season in which his team graduated all of its size, Al Smith had a question to ask himself.

A longtime coach who cherished ball movement, solid defense and working for the best shot possible, the James Wood boys' basketball coach was at a crossroad.

He could continue down the well-traveled path of traditional basketball, hoping that his squad of small but quick players would be able to hold its own against bigger, more athletic teams in a halfcourt setting.

Or he could venture down the road less traveled and try something a little different.

"I knew with the guys we had coming back that we would not have much of an inside game," Smith said. "We got 6-foot-3 at the tallest, but everyone else is pretty much between 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-11. And all of them have some decent quickness, all of them have some decent speed and all of them can shoot from the outside.

"And I had heard of this [system] a long time ago that I, like most coaches probably, had dismissed as a gimmick. To just go out there and shoot 3's and see what happens sounded crazy. But I was intrigued by it because it also sounded fun."

It's been called "Run-and-Gun", "Attack Basketball", and even "Hockey on the Hardwood."

But more poetically it's known simply as "The System" - and for anyone who has gone to watch the Colonels play this year, there's no arguing that it's not your ordinary style of basketball.

Utilizing the 3-point shot, a full-court trapping defense and hockey-like substitutions that see five new players enter the game almost every two minutes, "The System" is basketball's version of a war of attrition.

From the opening tip James Wood is pressing and trapping, running and gunning. No shot is off limits, no steal attempt too risky.

January 25, 2012
By Robert Niedzwiecki
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- With an 18-12 lead after one quarter, the James Wood boys' basketball team couldn't have asked for a much better start to Tuesday night's Northwestern District game with Sherando at Shirley Gymnasium.

But at that point, a big 6-foot-8 question had yet to be answered. How would Warriors center Terry Wood - dressed to play but tethered to the bench - impact the game once he was finally put in?

Sherando liked the answer a lot better than James Wood.

Wood scored eight of his game-high 21 points, grabbed seven of his game-high 14 rebounds, and had all three of his blocks in a second quarter that saw the Warriors outscore the Colonels 28-12 to take a 40-30 halftime lead, and Sherando went on to an 88-73 victory.

"It was definitely frustrating," said Wood about watching his team fall behind without him. "I just wanted to get in there and help my team. I wanted to rebound and contest shots."

Contesting shots in the second quarter was contagious for the Warriors (8-9, 4-1 Northwestern), who rebounded from losses to Handley and Martinsburg (W.Va.) last week.

Sherando held James Wood (6-10, 0-4) to 4-of-25 shooting (16 percent) in the second quarter and blocked a total of five shots in those eight minutes.

January 25, 2012
By Mark Sawyer
Special to The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER- In their first meeting of the season the Sherando girls' basketball team scored 100 points on James Wood and coasted to an easy 32-point victory.

Tuesday night the Colonels were determined not to let that happen again, and for the first five minutes of the game their determination and adjustments from the first contest showed they were ready for the rematch.

However, a flurry of 3-pointers late in the first quarter by the Warriors sparked a 37-5 run that lasted the remainder of the first half and completely changed the landscape of the contest, carrying the Warriors to another convincing Northwestern District victory, this time 92-41, over rival James Wood at Wood's Donald H. Shirley Gymnasium.

FRONT ROYAL- James Wood edged Skyline to pick up its first Northwestern District wrestling win of the season.

The Colonels (1-2 Northwestern) received wins by Jimmy Woznak (106 pounds, 5-0 decision); Taylor Swartz (113, pin); Erick Arkfeld (132, pin); Chris Ewing (160, 20-5 technical fall); Trey Bloomfield (182, pin); Mark Bean (220, 10-6 decision), and Erick Bearer (285, pin).

Over the weekend, James Wood finished second at the Daily News Leader Tournament held at Stuarts Draft High School. Woznak, Swartz and Bean took first; Arkfeld and Bearer took third; and Tyler Phillips (138), Brandon Walton (145) and Ewing finished fourth