The Powhatan Indians’ win over the visiting Monticello Mustangs last Friday night was not exactly surgical, but at times it appeared almost effortless. The Indians disassembled the Mustangs 82-60 and had it not been for a game high 23 points from Hines Banks, the Mustangs’ slick point guard, it would have been an embarrassment.

“This was a blueprint win for us” said head coach Steve Washburn. “We shared the ball well, created turnovers and played the way we needed to play as a team.” The stat sheet verifies the coach’s assessment.

Senior Luke Meyers led PHS with a quiet 20 points. Luke did drop in two three-pointers and finally threw down his first dunk of the season, but for the most part, his points were workmanlike. As were senior Ethan Lewis’ 15. But it was an offensive coming out party for sophomore guard Shawn Minor.

Minor scored from all over the floor, was an effective rebounder and set up his teammates for scores in a season high 17 point effort. His most spectacular effort came on an assist mid-way through the second quarter. Charging down the lane, he shot up over the defense to pull down an offensive rebound. At the top of his leap he spotted Meyers alone in the corner and tapped the ball cross- court. Luke dared not miss the wide open three which put Powhatan up by 19.

The Indians ran off the first ten points on three point plays by Lewis and Meyers and easy twos by Taron Hampton and Lewis. Mark Brady connected on a three for Monticello’s first point and Minor retaliated with his first long ball. A relatively slow first quarter ended with the Indians ahead 15-5.

And then a basketball game broke out. The Indians poured in 27 second quarter points and the Mustangs 22. Powhatan blew the lead up to 14 on Minor’s second three, 16 on Hampton’s first three, 18 on Shawn Henderson’s put-back and 19 on the Minor to Meyers long ball. Monticello took advantage of Powhatan’s defensive lapse to take back four points at the end of the quarter. Powhatan 42. Monticello 27.

Henderson opened the third stanza with an acrobatic twisting lay-up, Minor banged in a not quite as spectacular drive and Meyers’ brought the crowd to their feet with his dunk at 48-31. Banks scored on his first penetrating move during this sequence and seemed to like the effect. He slashed through the Powhatan defense twice more to score easy layups and Sam Roller dropped in a neat jump hook to bring the Mustangs back to within fourteen at 55-41.

After a Powhatan time out the two teams traded baskets before an intense two minute stretch by one player changed the complexion of the game. Senior Eric Watts, coming off football injuries, was on the court for the first time this season. He started off with a defensive rebound, took a return pass from Meyers in the paint and executed a pick your laundry off the court spin move to score easily. He rebounded the Mustangs miss on their next possession, outletted to Hampton who found Meyers at the rim. Luke made two free throws. Emmett Brown pulled down the next Mustang miss but was pilfered by Monticello’s Banks. Hampton re-stole and fed a posted-up Watts. Eric’s swift curl to the hoop put the Indians back up by 20 as the quarter expired.

Banks started off the final quarter with yet another rocket propelled trip down the lane, but missed an easy two on his next try. Brown found Minor cutting to the basket for a score and then stepped out to the corner for a smooth three pointer.

Henderson then committed absolute grand larceny on Banks, but blew the open layup. Lewis was there to clean up the miss at 70-47. Meyers dropped in a short, but acrobatic, leaner and Minor slashed through the middle for two more. Monticello’s Dan Liab countered with a three point play and Nas Conway’s jump hook made it 76-54 with just less than three minutes left. Lewis’ rainbow three from the right corner ended the mini-run before Hampton put back a missed Meyers three. Coach Washburn cleared his bench and the subs spent the final minutes of the game not making foul shots; the Indians went 16 for 29 at the charity stripe, before Drew Carlson found the range for the final point.

Watt’s return may eventually improve on the Indian’s biggest weakness; rebounding. At 6’4” he is the tallest on the squad but lack of height has not been the problem. Powhatan’s boys get their hands on a lot of balls at both end of the court but often get out-muscled in trying to secure rebounds.

“We still have rebounding issues. It is a major concern” said Coach Washburn. “And we need to be more consistent in running our offense.”