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Battlefield collapses in second half, loses to Gar-Field 66-51
The match-up between Battlefield and Gar-Field became a microcosm for boys’ basketball within Prince William County as the teams proved in odd ways that, at any given time, any team can win and any team can lose.
After trailing by nine at the end of the first quarter, Gar-Field came back to beat Battlefield in Haymarket 66-51 on the strength of 32 points by sophomore forward Jeremiah Johnson, 30 of which came during the last three quarters.
Losing kept Battlefield (4-8 overall, 1-3 conference) next to Stonewall at the cellar of the Cedar Run District while Gar-Field (9-2 overall) continued to keep pace with Hylton as the best in the neighboring Cardinal District. Yet, if the first half of the game proved anything, it’s that one of the worst in the county can compete with one of the best. Battlefield’s forwards and centers ultimately had problems containing Johnson, as the sophomore would routinely grab offensive rebounds from his own misses and put them back up to the rim.
“He was getting a lot of inside positions,” said Chris Parker, who finished with three points for Battlefield.
Junior guard Kwasi Amponsah chipped in nine assists and 18 points for the Indians by hitting five field goals – including a 3-pointer – and seven out of 10 foul shots.
Pressure from Johnson and Amponsah forced the Battlefield defense to respond more aggressively in the second half and in doing so, the boys played sloppier.
“It was just shooting and we weren’t boxing out (or) playing good defense,” commented Battlefield point guard Tyler Bent on his team’s second-half struggles.
In the third and forth quarters alone, the Bobcats fouled Johnson enough to send him to the line for 15 foul shots, nine of which he converted.
Foul shooting ended up being the primary offensive difference in the game as Gar-Field hit 23 out of 38 free throws compared to Battlefield’s 9-for-17 performance from the line. Even the Battlefield sideline gave Gar-Field a boost when the referees called a technical foul on one of the Bobcat assistant coaches near the end of the third quarter, allowing senior guard Scott Carpenter to drill two shots for the Indians.
“Our big men didn’t do their job tonight,” Bobcats coach Al Ford said after the game as he sat in the locker room across from his assistants. “Our big men have to come ready to play.”
Ford pointed out that it was senior guard Shaunn Simpkins, not any of the post players, who led Battlefield with six rebounds and 19 points on the night.
“We need our big men to have double digit rebounds and we have yet to accomplish that,” said the fourth-year coach.
He noted post players Bryant Osei, Tim Horn and Dion Romeo have yet to tally double-double performances this season for rebounds and points even though they are capable of it.
For example, the senior Osei put up a 19-point, 14-rebound game against eventual district tournament champion Fauquier during his junior year.
Assistant coach Tim Bent said Horn actually has a decent 15-foot baseline jumper and is a generally solid on defense. And though Battlefield as a whole was on pace to keep Gar-Field at or below the crucial 50-point heading into halftime, it was a defensive collapse from the entire team that contributed to the Indians’ 20-6 route of Battlefield in the third quarter.
“I think they just came out ready to play and we didn’t,” said Parker.
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