By: Dan Sousa
Sterling (Dec. 22, 2006) – James Nolen and Amechi Anyaugo could have
taken a week off after the Park View High School football season ended
in a heartbreaking last-second loss to Louisa County this year, but
like the rest of the Patriots on this year’s basketball team, they
wanted to get right to work.
The Patriots 8-0 start and games like Tuesday’s AA Dulles District
69-58 victory over Heritage are helping the Park View players put the
football season behind them.
Nolan had a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds and Anyaugo scored
19 including 6 of 6 from the foul line in the fourth quarter as Park
View won despite the absence of two key players, Thomas Mulabah and
Stuart Jackson, both not playing due to undisclosed team infractions.
“We could have let (their absence) affect us but we said before the
game that we had to come 0ut and make a statement,” said Nolen.
Heritage, previously the only other Dulles team without a district
loss early in the season, came out as if they would blow Park View out
of their own gym as the Pride knocked down 3-pointers by three
different players — Chris Broderick, Myron McGowan and D.J. Summers —
and raced out to a 13-4 advantage.
The Pride, however, would never shoot as sharply the rest of the
game and Heritage finished just 7 of 24 from 3-point range. Park View,
even with Mulabah not playing, still had the rebounding advantage as
the 6-5 Nolen, 6-5 Chris Harvin and 6-4 Kenny Smith helped the Patriots
to an overwhelming 44-28 edge on the boards.
Park View jumped back in the game with 11-0 to take the lead 15-13.
Anyaugo, coming off the bench, jump-started the Patriot offense with
two baskets and Nolen, showing a surprising soft touch for a big man,
struck twice as well. Sophomore Marcus Freeman’s 3-pointer capped the
run.
Heritage came right back with its own 9-2 run to take a 22-15 lead
with Preston Findley coming off the bench to spark the Pride and
Broderick scoring on a put-back and drive.
With 25 seconds left in the first quarter, C.J. Leizear hit a big
3-pointer for Park View as the Patriots were poised to go into the
break on a 3-minute dry spell. Park View continued the spurt as the
second quarter started with Nolen feeding Harvin for a basket in the
paint, Leizear finding the range for another 3-pointer and Anyaugo
getting to the foul line.
The game remained close with Heritage taking a 37-34 lead into the half.
Heritage led 45-40 midway through the third when Nolen assisted
Leizear for two and them he hit two free throws. Freeman dropped a trey
to tie the game at 45-45.
In the final minute of the quarter, Freeman made a nice pass to
Nolen to put Park View ahead 50-49 and Anyaugo beat the clock with a
3-pointer to close the quarter and give the Pats momentum.
Heritage would neve lead in the final quarter, though a three-point
play by Devon Alcala and then McGowan’s stick-back with 2:15 left cut
the Park View lead to 59-57. The Pride, however, would not score
another field goal, missing four shots down the stretch, including
three 3-point attempts and turning the ball over three times as well.
Park View’s Danny Foley, yet another Patriot football player, hand’t
scored going into the fourth quarter but he opened the quarter with a
steal and layin. With 1:28 left, Leizear grabbed a rebound and making
the like the quarterback he is, fired the ball down field to a familar
target, Foley, one of his starting wide receivers in football, for an
easy two points. 15 seconds later, Foley pulled up for an 8-footer to
make it 63-57 Park View with 1:08 to play.
The Pride were forced to foul and Anyaugo was up to the task,
sinking six free throws in the final 47 seconds to stretch the lead out.
“That was a huge win for us,” said Park View caoch Jeff Schneider.
“James Nolen took it upon himself to be a force inside tonight. And
Amechi had his best game of the year.”
McGowan led Heritage with 15 but scored just two points inth second
half. The normally high-scoring Summers, forced to take some tough
shots with the quick Anyaugo shadowing him most of the night, was just
2 of 10 from the field for eight points. Broderick finished with 10
fort the Pride.
Processing your request, Please wait....
