Laura Clark / Nelson County Times
Published: March 4, 2008

The two teams have taken similar routes to success in the past year.

Like Nelson (27-1), Chesterfield (21-5) had a losing season last year. The Eagles were 9-13, while the Govs were 9-12. The offseason has made all the difference, from building skills to team chemistry.

Throughout the season, Gov coach Brandon Garrett and his players have credited the 50 games they played in spring leagues and summer camps with bringing the team closer. Garrett borrowed former North Carolina coach Dean Smith's quote, saying, "It's amazing what can be achieved when no one cares who gets the credit."

The Eagles played 25 games from June to August, and spent time in the weight room. Coach Toby Campbell advised his team to eschew AAU leagues so they could play together.

Campbell said he knew from the beginning of the year his team would meet Nelson County in the state tournament. Both coaches scouted each other during their respective regional championship games last Saturday. The Eagles see Gov point guard Thomas Brown, recently named Region B Player of the Year, as the single biggest threat.

"We don't have a Brown in our district," Campbell said. "He sees the floor very well."

Campbell also said he was impressed by the Nelson's team defense.

"I think they do a very good job going to the glass to rebound for the height that they have," he said.

Campbell alluded to the biggest disparity between the two teams: size. Nelson has played against bigger teams like Dan River and Page County this season. But Chesterfield might just be the biggest, and with all-around threats, that Nelson has faced.

All five of the Eagle starters are 6-feet or taller. Junior guard David Copeland is the leading scorer, averaging 19.3 points per game. Jerrod House, a senior forward, averages 15.4 points and leads the Eagles in rebounding with 9.2. Senior twins Jerrod and Sherrod Allen will be formidable inside threats, as they both stand 6 feet, 6 inches tall and pull down between eight and nine rebounds per game.

Chesterfield is a bit deeper than Nelson, with junior Clarence Hextal, who scores about 10 points per game off the bench. Three other Eagles play significant minutes. Nelson usually goes to freshman Trevor Hall and junior Cameron Coles for relief.

Campbell said the biggest challenge this season was a car accident on Feb. 27 that involved three players, Copeland, Dominique Johnson and Sherrod Allen. Copeland was ejected from the car, but did not sustain significant injury. All three players were able to play in the semifinal game the following Friday, in which Copeland scored 18 points.

Copeland scored 29 points in the Eagles' 87-86 overtime loss to Surry County in the Region A championships. Garrett said he learned the Eagles like to get out and run, and played Surry with a 2-3 defense.

In addition to being big and physical, the Eagles have several people that can handle the ball, and bring a solid perimeter game. Nelson, a team that thrives on speed and transition buckets, may slow things down as it did against Page. Either way, Garrett said, setting the tempo and making Chesterfield guard them is key.

"We need to get off to a good start, follow through with the game plan, making sure we have our assignments," he said. "It's not the time to be making little mistakes, especially mentally."

Nelson is coming off one of its best offensive performances of the year, in terms of shared scoring and making plays. Starters Chris Jones, Mike Jones and T.J. Martin each scored in the double digits. Brown, while still averaging 23.3 points per game, scored nine against Page, but had a hand in almost every offensive play and earned 14 assists.

Defensively, Garrett said he challenges his team to be physical. Chris Jones had taken about one charge per game in the post-season. Starter Steve Washington, a 6-foot-2 junior, has 29 blocks this season.

Garrett, who was named All-Region, Division 1 Coach of the Year, said his team will come out with the same mentality it has had all season.

"We're here for a reason. We earned the right to be here," he said.

At the state level, Brown said the Govs must play four quarters.

"We never played a complete game," he said after the region semifinals. "In state, everybody brings their A game, it's go hard or go home. So we're going to go hard and stay on top."

Chesterfield is over its close loss, Campbell said, adding that his team is just as battle tested as Nelson. Several of the Eagles have experience at this level. In 2006, Chesterfield lost to Clarke County in the state semifinals.

"We're a confident group. We're a family," he said. "It's going to be an interesting game."

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