Warhawks wrap up 2A-South play with victories

MOUNT VERNON - Mount Vernon-Enola capped its district season by hammering McRae 75-51 Friday night at Warhawk Gymnasium.

The Warhawks (20-9, 9-3 in the 2A-South) trailed early but used a 16-0 run to take a lead that never dipped below nine points in the second half. Seven Mount Vernon-Enola players scored six or more points.

"We use a lot of kids, and I think that was to our advantage tonight," Mount Vernon-Enola coach Justin Rodgers said. "Our pressure helped us, too; we didn't give up many layups."

McRae led 7-2 three minutes into the game, but the Trojans did not score the rest of the quarter. Meanwhile, Terry Prows and Derek Hawkins each hit two baskets to fuel the Warhawks' 16-0 surge.

McRae cut the lead to 19-12 early in the second quarter, but Mount Vernon-Enola replied with a 9-2 run to push its advantage to 28-14. The Warhawks led 33-19 at halftime.

The Trojans cut the lead to nine several times in the third quarter, but Mount Vernon-Enola met each challenge. The Warhawks put the game away with a 15-6 spurt in the fourth quarter.

"We got a lot of kids in foul trouble and needed to make some adjustments in the second half," Rodgers said. "We finally made those adjustments and did all right. We did a good job rebounding and taking advantage of second-chance opportunities."

Hawkins led Mount Vernon-Enola with 14 points and five assists. Josh Lloyd had 13 points and seven rebounds. Jon Osborne and Derek Blocker had 11 and 10 points, respectively. Richard Wexler contributed eight points and eight rebounds. Andy McArthur and Terry Prows scored six apiece.

Kalyn Kick led McRae with 21 points.

"We're close to where we wanted to be at this point in the season," Rodgers said. "We played a little better early in the season, but we are starting to play that way again. This is a good time to climb back up."

GIRLS

Outscoring McRae 18-2 in the third quarter, the Lady Warhawks won easily, 43-18.

Mount Vernon-Enola (15-11, 8-4) led just 4-2 after one quarter, but two 3-pointers by Krystal Brewer gave the Lady Warhawks a 17-7 lead at halftime.

Mount Vernon-Enola more than doubled its point production in the third quarter, during which five players contributed points.

"I was real pleased with the second half, especially our defense in the second half," Mount Vernon-Enola coach Freeman Isaacs said. "At halftime we extended our pressure fullcourt, and that shook them up a little bit. It also made our girls quit thinking about missing shots and just play the game."

Whitney Leach led the Lady Warhawks with nine points and three assists. Mimi Allen had eight points and 12 rebounds. Ashley Pearce scored eight, and Brewer and Stephanie Ivy added six each.

The 2A-South district tournament begins February 17.

"After junior high district is over, we've got some ninth-graders who can step up and help," Isaacs said, "so I think we have a pretty good shot in district."

Mount Vernon-Enola won the junior girls game 44-4. Heather Fairfield scored 11 points. Alexis Weaver had 10, and Rebecca Peppers added seven.