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Thomasville and Hendersonville face off this evening at 7 p.m. in the NCHSAA western regional semifinals with one team wanting to maintain its position at the top and another hoping to restore itself as a state title contender. The Bulldogs are the defending 1-A champs and have claimed five state titles in 10 years. Hendersonville was once an elite power before falling on down times, but two years after winning just one game, the Bearcats have clawed all the way back to respectability.
“They are primarily a senior team,” THS coach Woody Huneycutt said. “Hendersonville has had a rich history, especially in basketball, over the years. They have a new coach in there and I think he’s turning it around. This year they have really turned the corner and are playing really well. They’ve been together a long time and they have a lot to play for.”
This evening’s matchup should be an fan’s delight as both teams play up-tempo and like to push the ball up the floor. Hendersonville has won 24 of 27 games this season while Thomasville sits at 20-2. The Bulldogs have hardly been pushed this post-season, winning by an average of 28.7 points a game, including a combined 68 the past two rounds. This is coming from a team that some thought would go through a rebuilding year.
Tell that to top-seeded Mount Airy. The Bears came to town Friday night with a 26-2 mark and left on the wrong end of a 69-39 decision.
“They full-court press, half-court trap, trap down in the corners, trap all over the place,” said Huneycutt of Hendersonville. “They get after you and they love to run the floor. I think the word I heard was they like to go at a frantic pace. It sounds a lot like us. They’re not huge but they are fast and they like to run.
“We are going to have to do the same thing we did against Mount Airy — have the same intensity, play at a ‘can’t afford to lose’ pace. We have to play hard but we have to play smart. We have to realize that if they are going to press us, what they’re trying to do in their press, what they’re trying to take away. We have to try and exploit their press if we can. That’s easier said than done.”
Coaches always like to have their team playing its best this time of the season and Huneycutt has the Bulldogs pretty darn close. Proven commodities E.J. Abrams-Ward and Simms have produced all season, but what has taken THS to the next level over the past month has been the play of the “unknowns”. Junior Dominique Pickett, considered primarily a shooter, has improved his all-around game and given the Dogs another offensive option. Senior Evander Davis is a sniper from the outside that has grown into a solid ball-handler and passer. Much was expected of these two entering the year and they have raised their game in the playoffs. Quinton Lindsay, Najee Brown and Brad Wilkes have also developed into reliable sparks off the bench and the Bulldogs will need everyone to stay with the Bearcats.
“I heard they like to run a whole lot,” Simms, THS’ point guard, said. “They don’t have much size on the inside, but neither do we. We should run well together, it’s just a matter of who plays the best doing what they do. If they run the same press we run in practice it gives us a better look and we can figure out what to do in the game.”
Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 47209500, ext. 233, or at eliotduke@hotmail.com.