King William logs boys hoops victory over Carver
Early in the fourth quarter of King William’s 74-55 road victory over Carver Academy Monday night, the Cavaliers’ Jordan Spivey made a defensive stop near mid-court, immediately spotted Gibson Farmer streaking toward the basket, and delivered a pinpoint pass into his teammate’s outstretched hands.
The Wolverines lit out after him, but they were way too late, and in one fluid, unfettered motion, Farmer banked a layup off the glass that caused the home team to call time to halt the 9-0 run that effectively put this matchup of Tidewater District rivals out of reach.
As the action stopped, KW coach Cedric Moore bounced excitedly from his seat, pumped his fists into the air, and high-fived his guys one-by-one as then came toward their bench to the cheers of the Cavaliers’ faithful who had made the hour-long trip to Chester.
“When we play defense, we’re tough,” said Moore of his spontaneous reaction. “We think we can be formidable in (VHSL) Class 2 just by defending. For us, it’s defense first, and our defense creates our offense to get us more possession. That’s our focus.”
The Cavaliers (15-3) showed the Wolverines (10-7) a variety of defensive looks to keep them guessing and disrupt their offensive rhythm.
At one time or another, they ran man-to-man, 2-3, 1-3-1, and 1-2-2, all of which were designed to pressure the ball and extend to the sidelines and baselines to take advantage of the very tight confines of the Carver gym.
Moore’s guys harried the Wolverines, a Class 1 signatory, into 22-for-52 shooting and 23 turnovers, 20 of which were recorded as steals, and dealt 17 assists, many of which resulted from their defensive handiwork.
“We’re a great defensive team if we play to our standard,” said senior guard Robbie Pollard. “If we play together and play the King William way, we can go a long way with our defense.”
Though Pollard long ago bought in to Moore’s defense-first credo, he’s much better known as an offensive threat.
Against the Wolverines, he scored 15 points, all on strikes from behind the arc at opportune times.
“As soon as we get off the bus and walk in the gym, everyone guards Pollard,” said Moore. “It took us a little longer to get going tonight without our starting point guard (Isayah Sevon), who was ill.
“Pollard moved over (from the shooting guard spot). He took on a different role, and that helped our offense.”
No more so than late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.
At 2:45 of the third of a still-close game, Pollard stroked a 3 from the right wing off a pass from 6-5 freshman Landon Clouse to give the visitors a 48-38 lead. On their next possession, he nailed another.
At 1:36, Farmer (19 points) followed suit from the left baseline to ignite a rally that sent the Cavs into the final period leading 57-43.
For Pollard, whose fifth 3-pointer came early in the fourth quarter, it was all in a day’s work.
“I know the team relies on me to shoot the ball,” Pollard said. “Whenever we need a bucket, I know the guys trust me and look to me to shoot. Since I was little, I’ve had the confidence that if I’m open from 3 and see daylight, there’s a good possibility it goes in.
“Every time I see a window, whether it’s a one-point game, we’re up 30 or down 30, it doesn’t matter to me.”
It’s not that Pollard is a one-man show. He’s a complementary player on a team with lofty post-season dreams.
“We know what certain guys can do at this point in the season,” Pollard said. “If Gibson’s flying down the court, I know to look for him. Or if Andrew (Holmes) is in the corner spotting up or Landon (Clouse) is in the post, get them the ball there. If I don’t have the shot, it’s what other guys can do if we get them the ball.”
The Cavaliers hit 30-of-60 shots and outrebounded Carver 36-29. They drained eight 3-pointers and scored 44 points in the paint. The Wolverines, who played an aggressive 2-3 much of the night, pestered them into 22 turnovers.
Anthony Myers scored 17 points for KW. Jabari Boone scored 17, Jaden Alexander-Coles 12, and Amari Bullock 11 for Carver.
From the opening tap, the game was a rough-and-tumble affair played on fast forward with bodies racing up and down the court and diving after 50-50 balls with passion and spirit.
No shots, save for the breakaway layups, went unguarded, no pass or rebound went uncontested, and the cramped court with sidelines only inches away from stands on one side, walls on three added a dimension that aided aggressive defensive play.
“It takes a little bit of adjusting,” said Farmer. “It definitely helps on defense a lot. When the ball’s going out of bounds, if you try to save it, you’re going to run into the wall. That’s an automatic out-of-bounds every time, a turnover.
“Coach tells us, ‘Get the ball. Trap them on the sides. They’re going to run out of bounds. They have nowhere to go.”
And on offense…
“We try to run,” Farmer added. “We get the ball out. We’re down the floor fast every time. That’s Coach Moore’s game plan every time.”
