BOYS BASKETBALL: Devils upset Jackets

Culpeper’s Devonte Deans begged Blue Devils’ fans to make noise with James Monroe’s Julian Bumbrey at the foul line Tuesday night, but the home crowd at Culpeper County High School didn’t need any help.

A fan in the front row waved Deans off as if to say, “we got this,” as cheers and jeers rained down from the bleachers every time a Yellow Jacket stepped to the charity stripe, chants of “warm the bus up” echoed through the gym and Culpeper handed James Monroe its first Battlefield District loss, 81-72.

“We’re a young team, so we need all our wins,” CCHS head coach James Thompson said. “Last year’s team was expected to go to states, but this team is so young that we have to set smaller goals.”

The win marked Culpeper’s seventh straight victory since losing, 71-57, to James Monroe Jan. 6, and with three regular season games left, ensured the Blue Devils of winning overall and district records.

“We set small goals on the way to the big goal,” Thompson said.

The first half ended with the score all knotted up at 39, but the Yellow Jackets and Blue Devils proved they both had a little something left in the tank for the second half.

The Yellow Jackets (14-2 overall, 8-1 Battlefield) scored on three straight Culpeper turnovers early in the third quarter before Torreik Ferguson came off the bench and put James Monroe up six points with a 3-pointer.

JP Gorby kept the Blue Devils (12-7, 9-2) afloat in the third, getting a floater to drop to cut the Yellow Jackets’ lead to two and, after getting fouled beyond the 3-point arch, hitting three free throws to put Culpeper up 59-58 heading into the fourth.

“Culpeper came out and played well, and they wanted more than we did,” JM coach Antonio Coghill said. “We missed a lot of shots down low that we usually make, and they made their free throws.”

“That was the game right there,” Coghill continued. “They hit their free throws and we didn’t.”

Culpeper built a 10-point lead with a little more than three minutes to play, but James Monroe put together one more run.

Six-foot-8 Te’Quan Alers brought James Monroe within four with a layup, and Bruce Johnson cut Culpeper’s lead to 73-71 with 1:15 left on the clock, but clutch free throws down the stretch from Adrian Strother and Henry Butler sealed the deal for the surging Blue Devils.

“They crushed us in the second quarter with layups, and that’s when they got back in the game,” Thompson said, “But that’s JM basketball, and that’s what they’re used to. You’re tired at the end of a JM game.”

Thanks to 3-pointers from Gorby and Nik Stewart and the absence of Alers — who didn’t start, but finished with 17 points and six rebounds — Culpeper jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first quarter and held on to even the season series with the district-leading Yellow Jackets.

Deans led Culpeper with a double-double — 21 points and 10 rebounds — while Gorby finished with 17 points and Butler added 15 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and two assists.

NOTES: Culpeper hosted district foe Courtland on Monday and topped the Cougars, 70-63.

Deans scored 18 of his team-high 20 points in the first half, while Gorby added 10 points, Zack Stanley finished with eight and Stewart and Butler both chipped in with seven.

Culpeper 81, James Monroe 72

JMHS 17 22 21 12 — 72

CCHS 21 18 22 20 — 81

Scoring summary

James Monroe (14-2, 8-1) — Julian Bumbrey 18, Te’Quan Alers 17, Bruce Johnson 8, Tony Scott 8, Torreik Ferguson 6, Alex Baker 6, Jaamir Bumbrey 5, Marcus Finnie 4.

Culpeper (12-7, 9-2) — Devonte Deans 21, JP Gorby 17, Henry Butler 15, Adrian Strother 9, Nik Stewart 7, Mike Kenney 7, Anthony Banks 5.

Team totals

Rebounds — James Monroe 29, Culpeper 37.

Free throws — James Monroe 15-32. Culpeper 23-31.

3-pointers — James Monroe 3 (Julian Bumbrey, Jaamir Bumbrey, Ferguson). Culpeper 4 (Gorby 2, Kenney, Stewart).

Turnovers — James Monroe 15, Culpeper 19.