WHS Demons impressive in home-opener

By Wade Holland

Publisher

Playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season, the Williamstown Demons put on an offensive display that the hometown fans had not witness in many years.

Williamstown came out of the gates on fire and played an up-tempo style that had them on pace to top the century mark before calling off the dogs in an 86-54 win over visiting Covington Latin.

The 86 points are the most for the program since scoring 92 on February 20, 2009, a span of nearly six full years. The 32-point margin of victory is the second largest in that same time period..

Williamstown scored 33 points in the first eight minutes of the game, and had put 55 on the board heading into the locker room at the half. The Demons continued that pace in the third quarter and were still on track to top 100 with 76 points heading into the final period before slowing things down a bit over the final eight minutes of play with all five starters on the bench.

Williamstown Coach Roger Harden said he was very pleased with his team's performance and that the fast-paced style of play is something the Demon faithful can expect to see most nights from the team.

"That's what we want to do is get out and push and press and shoot the three," he said. "If we do

Demons' offense in high gear

in 86-54 home-opening victory

Sophomore guard Jon Jump (14) takes the ball to the basket against Covington Latin. Jump finished with a game-high 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.

that, and do it well, we'll be able to play with people. Tonight we played at the tempo that we wanted to play at. We shot the amount of 3's that we wanted to. So I'm very pleased."

Using a staggering full-court press, Williamstown jumped on Covington Latin early and often, building a double-digit lead in the first two minutes of the game. The Demons never let up and were in complete control, 33-18 after one quarter and 55-35 at the intermission.

Sophomore guard Jon Jump led the Williamstown offensive attack with 18 points, including 12 in the first quarter alone. Senior Cameron Varner was next for the Demons with 15 points, including seven in the first period.

Freshman point guard Brennan Stanley added 14 to the winners' total, followed by Chase Good with eight, Brady Montgomery with seven, and Dustin Smith with six.

One of the first players off the bench, Harold Fernandez scored four points for Williamstown in the victory, while teammates Jose Espicio, Derek Cummins and Carter Sarcione chipped in three each.

Chris Parsons and Bryce Montgomery contributed two apiece, with Landon Hare adding one to round out the scoring for the victors.

Williamstown hit 13 3-point shots in the game, with eight different players hitting one from behind the arch. Stanley, Chase Good, Jump, Varner and Smith all hit two 3-pointers each. Espicio, Brady Montgomery and Fernandez added one each.

A total of 13 players contributed points for the Demons in the win, something that shows the team's depth. Seeing so many players get into the scoring column was especially pleasing to Harden, who saw a lot of good in a lot of players in the game.

One player whose hustle and determination caught his eye is

Senior forward Cameron Varner (22) takes the ball to the hole. Varner scored 15 in the Demons' win, including a pair or shots from behind the arch.

senior post player Derek Cummins, who is new to the program.

"It was particularly a joy to watch Derek tonight," said Harden. "Derek scored for us and did some nice things. He is a great person and he is having a wonderful impact here. There are going to be a lot of times this season that he is going to be able to help us in tight situations."

Williamstown also got a nice boost from a large home crowd, with the band's support being like a sixth man on the floor for the Demons.

"The atmosphere was great tonight," said Harden. "The band was great and it really helps our atmosphere and helps the guys play better when the band is here. They are very good. They won a state championship. And anytime they are in the building we are a better team."

Williamstown, which is currently 1-1, will return to action on Saturday, December 6 to face Carroll Co.