Bruins take a loss at John Marshall

MOUNDSVILLE - The first thing Brooke coach Dave Reitter did following Monday night's game against John Marshall was seek out the Monarchs' senior standout Jeremy Hays and shake his hand.

''I congratulated him on how much he worked over the summer to improve his game,'' Reitter said. ''When you watch him play, it's very obvious. The time he put in is really paying off.''

Hays, John Marshall's 6-foot-1 senior guard, poured in 31 points and did everything that could have been asked of him on both ends of the floor while sparking the Monarchs to an easy 87-51 romp against the visiting Bruins. The victory was the second without a loss for Coach Bill Storm's club, while Brooke fell to 0-2.

Along with a explosive first step to the basket and a smooth-as-silk shooting touch, it is Hays' leadership qualities that have impressed his coach the most in the early going this season.

''Jeremy makes sure he gives his teammates the opportunity to be part of our offense. He lets the game come to him and doesn't take any bad shots,'' Storm said.

Buying into John Marshall's team concept on offense is something Hays learned last year when the Monarchs qualified for the West Virginia Class AAA state tournament for the first time in school history.

''He sacrificed (his scoring) to fit into the personality of that team,'' stressed Storm, although he was JM's leading scorer with an average of 13.1 per game.

After exploding for 39 points in the Monarchs' opening victory against North Marion, Hays easily could have equaled or bettered that effort against the Bruins. He connected for 20 points in the first half although sitting out several minutes because his team had taken a commanding lead. With 3:20 remaining in the third quarter and John Marshall in front 59-25, Hays left the floor for the final time after netting a pair of free throws to equal the number on the back of his white home jersey (31).

Two drives culminated with Hays putting the ball off the glass into the basket sent the Monarchs off to a 4-0 lead. Justin Wade, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, tipped in a missed shot to make it 6-0. Wade then dished the ball inside to Luke Martin for a layup and was the recipient of a nifty feed from Hays for another easy basket and a 10-0 spread.

Brooke finally got on the board when Justin Sabo scored on a stickback shot at the 3:50 mark. With the score at 12-4 following Jared Long's basket, John Marshall rattled off a 12-0 run to close the quarter with a 20-point cushion at 24-4.

Hayes, who netted 12 points during the opening eight minutes, started the second stanza with a steal and underhand layup. By halftime, the lead was 44-14, which the Monarchs extended to 64-33 by the end of the third quarter.

Storm was impressed with the contributions of Wade and backup center David Hummel, who provided 13 and nine points, respectively. Their dominance in the paint helped the Monarchs limit Brooke to one shot on most of the Bruin trips down the floor.

''I liked the way our two post players handled themselves. Sometimes we forget they are just sophomores and are still learning the game. (Aaron) Fonner, another sophomore, gave us a nice game off the bench, scoring 10 points.

''We're going to need some of the guys to come along offensively. Teams we play down the line are going to do whatever they can to stop Jeremy. He's going to see a lot of box-and-ones and junk defenses.''

Brooke received a 21-point outing from junior Shane Paesano, while classmate Justin Sabo tossed in 11 points. Paesano connected our four 3-pointers, including three in the second half.

Despite having watched his team fall for the second time in as many outings, Reitter remains upbeat about the future.

''This is typical of what you might see from a very young team,'' Reitter said. ''From that standpoint we are on the same level as John Marshall. We have just one senior and they only have two. The difference, of course, is that one of their seniors is Jeremy Hays.

''Our kids have to start playing aggressively and have some confidence in their ability to get the job done. We have a couple of scorers capable of lighting it up.

''I still believe we can have some success. The kids have to keep working hard and, hopefully, two or three weeks down the line we'll be a lot better.''