By Chris Parker
Logan-Rogersville boys basketball knew it was facing a literal tall task in taking on John Burroughs in the Class 4 state semifinal on Friday.
The Bombers started two players who stood at 6’8 and 6’9 against a Wildcats team that typically plays four guards.
That size proved to be too much for Rogersville to overcome in a 46-42 loss.
“If you turn the corner and get there where we are used to doing, they have two guys that are 6’10 cleaning up the rim, so you are going to have trouble scoring there,” Logan-Rogersville head coach John Schaefer said. “We really tried to shoot it a little more (from the) perimeter. They are really big. When you are that long and athletic, it is hard to do the things that you are typically used to doing in getting to the rim. We got to the rim, but it is in our head knowing their hand is about slap the glass.”
Early on, the perimeter game was working for Logan-Rogersville. The Wildcats were 5-for-13 from deep in the first half and went into the break trailing 29-24.
Logan-Rogersville battled back in the third quarter to take a 38-36 lead into the final eight minutes, but the John Burroughs defense stepped up and held Rogersville to just four fourth-quarter points to secure the win.
A story throughout the game was foul trouble for Logan-Rogersville’s senior big man Scott Metz. He picked up three first-half fouls and his fourth foul with 6:11 left in the third quarter.
He only played just over 10 minutes for the entire game.
“He (Metz) runs that team. He is the facilitator. He catches and makes good decisions. He is good passer. He is a great free throw shooter,” John Burroughs head coach Darryl Lenard said. “Checking Tristan (Reed) is a load for anyone. He (Metz) got some early fouls and they ended up being beneficial for us. That was key because we knew he is the meat and potatoes of making that ship run.”
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“Putting him (Metz) on the bench hindered us a lot about what we want to do offensively. That was a big part of the game,” Schaefer said. “We never got in transition like want to and like we have throughout the year, but that is also John Burroughs. They did a really nice job. They don’t allow that much because they suck up all boards and if you get a rebound, they are on top of you and at the rim all the way back.”
With the production of Metz on the bench, freshman Chase Branham stepped up to fill the void going 7-for-14 from the field for a game-high 17 points and five assists.
“He (Branham) doesn’t play like a freshman. He has a lot of poise,” Lenard said. “Watching film on him, he is very poised and has a basketball IQ that is pretty good. He doesn’t play like a freshman. He is not afraid of the moment. We knew we had to contain him.”
Logan-Rogersville graduates six seniors including three starters, but the future is bright for the Wildcats with young players coming up.
The example this year’s seniors set will serve as a standard the coming teams will hope to achieve.
“These seniors are just good kids. We ask a lot of these guys. That is why they are here. These kids work. They take it and do their job,” Schaefer said. “They are very respectful, and we hold them to a higher standard. Scott (Metz) was not at that level a year ago and now he is. That is what gets me emotional about the work they have put in. They don’t take it for granted. That passing of the torch for these guys and those eighth graders is going to the final four. Your work as a coach gets that much easier because that is what the expectation is.”
