Photos by Jim Ridolphi
Above: Brandon Henry flies high for two of his game leading 31 points, including six 3-pointers. Below: Willie Ezell (22) goes inside for two points in the third quarter.

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On Monday night Goochland and Powhatan residents filled the GHS gym as part of a special fundraiser for Haiti relief. 

  The Bulldog basketball team took advantage of the full house to display an offensive explosion against cross-river rival Powhatan in a 83-52 win.

  “The crowd really got us going tonight and everyone contributed to this victory over a tough Powhatan team,” said Goochland coach Oliver Courtney.

  The Bulldogs opened the game with a full throttle assault on the Indians, including three long range 3-pointers from senior Brandon Henry, who finished the game with six 3-pointers and 31 points.

  “Brandon almost single handedly got us started tonight with his shooting,” Courtney said. “He was unstoppable tonight.”

  With Henry working the outside and Corbyn Jackson, Willie Ezell and BJ Clark doing the inside work, the Bulldogs never allowed the visitors a chance to find their stride.

  “They outplayed and out hustled us on both ends of the court tonight, and never allowed us to get into our game,” said Powhatan coach Steve Washburn. “They deserve all the credit tonight.”

  James Brooks directed a Bulldogs’ offense that did not misfire often, taking advantage of selective outside shooting coupled with a powerful inside game.

  “James Brooks at point guard had seven assists tonight,” Courtney said. “He was the guy who was making things happen tonight with the ball. That took a lot of pressure off Brandon and allowed him to get to his sweet spot.”

  Courtney indicated that his team had all aspects of the game working well against the Indians. “I thought Corbyn Jackson did a great job on the inside and we passed the ball well tonight,” he said. “We rarely gave them any second shots on the basket, either, so it was a complete effort.”

  The Indians attempted to get back into the game with some pinpoint shooting of their own after facing a 22-7 first quarter deficit.

  After several three pointers, the Indians drew to 33-21 late in the first half, but that was as close as they could get.

  The Bulldogs held a 40-28 lead when the teams went into the locker room.
  “I thought we got it down to a manageable margin during the second quarter, but they shut us down in the second half,” Washburn said.

  The Bulldogs took advantage of an unstoppable inside game to piece together a commanding third quarter lead, 67-39.

  Clark sealed the deal in the fourth quarter with consecutive driving lay-ups that, combined with more Henry 3-pointers, slammed the door on any possible comeback from the Indians.

  “Everybody played well tonight,” Courtney said. “This was one of our best games. We came out with a lot of energy. The crowd motivated us.”

  The coach said the matchups with Powhatan are still a highlight on the Bulldogs schedule and James River bragging rights are always a sought after prize. “It’s one of my favorite games of the year,” Courtney said. “They’re our next door neighbors and it’s a good rivalry. It’s always good to get a big win like this in a rivalry game.”

  The Bulldogs don’t get much time to celebrate the win as they have two more games this week against Monticello and at Louisa.

  “I hope they can keep playing at this level with this intensity,” Courtney said. “Sometimes, back to back games are tough, but hopefully, we’ll be ready to play.”

Goochland 83, Powhatan 52
POWHATAN (6-9) Burton 10, Minor 13, Berry 4, Stinson 0, Anderson 0, Moore 5, Fralin 4, Miller 4, Barden 3, Prillaman 2, Adams 4, Dickerson 3. Totals 21 4-7 52.
GOOCHLAND (9-4) Turner 0, Miller 4, Brooks 9, Clark 14, Athey 0, Ezell 7, Crawley 0, Henry 31, Johnson 6, Smith 0, Jackson 12. Totals 33 10-20 83.
Powhatan—————- 7 21 11 13—52
Goochland————22 18 27 16—83
3-point goals: P—Minor 4, Burton 2. G—Henry 6, Brooks.

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