Laura Clark / Nelson County Times
Published: February 20, 2008

Thomas Brown fed T.J. Martin, who knocked down a three on the wing to take the lead at 55-53. With less than two minutes to play in the game, Altavista took two time outs and held the ball for one minute, searching for the right shot.

Roger Woodruff passed to Trevor Hall, who missed the three-point attempt from the top of the key. Nelson came up with the rebound and called a time out. Freshman Trevor Hall was fouled on the full-court press. He hit both his free throws with 21.8 seconds remaining. Chris Jones was sent to the line and hit both his shots as well after Altavista turned the ball over trying to take a three.

"Class-wise, he's a freshman, but he plays like a senior," head coach Brandon Garrett said of Trevor Martin. "T.J., he came up big. He's been shooting the ball really well in practice. That was a big momentum boost for us."

The third game between the number two (Altavista) and three (Nelson) teams in the Group A rankings was as close as the first two. Altavista led by seven in the first quarter, and Nelson had a nine-point lead a couple times in the second half, but each time the teams fought back.

Colonel coach Mike Cartolaro said the game came down to an ill-advised shot by Gavin Monroe when Altavista held a one point lead after Trevor Hall hit two free throws and the Colonels came up with a defensive rebound.

"We're pretty good about spreading out and hanging onto it," Cartolaro said. "That shot should never have gone up."

The Govs said defense made the biggest difference in the game in addition to hitting free throws. Brown had the responsibility of guarding Altavista's main threat, sophomore Mike Poindexter, who led Altavista with 18 points and eight rebounds.

"He's a real good shooter, and he knocks down shots under pressure," Brown said. "I had to keep him in check at the three-point line and stay in his pocket."

"We really stressed knowing who you're guarding, getting a hand out, boxing out," Garrett said. "Those few adjustments, you don't see them on the scoreboard, but they make a big difference."

Nelson hit 14 of 16 free throws in the second half, compared to three of six in the first half. Brown was the leading scorer with 27 points. He also had seven assists. T.J. Martin scored eight, Chris Jones scored 12 and Cameron Coles and Mike Jones each scored five.

Coles led on the boards with eight rebounds. Brown had seven and Chris Jones had four. Trevor Hall was Altavista's second-leading scorer with 16 points. Roger Woodruff had eight points, five rebounds and five assists. The Colonels are now 18-3. Nelson (22-1) will play the winner of the Dan River-Chatham game at Amherst County High School on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

Nelson and Altavista could potentially meet in not only the district final, but also at the regional tournament and perhaps state tournament.

"All match-ups are hard with them," Brown said. "It was almost like a mental game, who could play better under control and run their offenses better."

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