by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
James Coleman was Lancaster’s go-to man in two Northern Neck District wins last week. Coleman had the hot hands last Tuesday in a 75-58 win over Washington & Lee last Tuesday and again Friday in a 70-67 win over Colonial Beach.
Coleman couldn’t miss in the second half last Tuesday, scoring 15 of his team-leading 20 points, as the Red Devils opened up a 10-point halftime lead.
Coleman scored nine straight with a pair of lay-ins, a three-pointer and two free throws, midway through the third when Lancaster went on a 9-2 run to take a 48-33 lead.
Lancaster opened the margin to 18 early in the fourth, 63-45, with over three minutes to play. LHS coach Tim Rice went with a full-scale substitution and the LHS bench finished with eight points in the final minute.
Rice got scoring from 14 of his 15 players with Coleman leading three double-digit scorers. Martez Davis finished with 12 and Jay Dillon, 10.
Keshon White answered Coleman with 20 points for the Eagles. White did most of his work in the first half with 16 points. He was shut down in the fourth.
Lancaster 70
Colonial Beach 67
The offenses exploded in the fourth quarter last Friday for a combined 53 points, just two points less than the entire first-half scoring, as the Drifters made a comeback attempt that fell three-points short against visiting Lancaster.
Lancaster held on for the 70-67 win. Coleman paced both teams with 24 points. He scored all of it from the floor, sinking four three-pointers on the night.
Davis finished with 15 points, sinking 5-of-6 free throws in the fourth and 8-of-10 on the night.
Alonzo Turner scored 10 of Colonial Beach’s 29 points in the fourth quarter when the Drifters whittled away at Lancaster’s lead.
The Devils led by four at the end of one then outscored the hosts by five in the second to take a 32-23 lead into the half. The two teams traded points in the third before both offenses blew up. Colonial Beach outscored Lancaster, 29-24, in the fourth quarter.
Dwayne Ball finished with 10 points as one of three double-digit scorers for Lancaster.
The Devils are 10-3 overall and have two games remaining in regular season play. They will travel to Rappahannock Friday, February 3; host Christchurch School Saturday, February 4; and end the season at home against Essex Tuesday, February 7.
