Archive for December 2010
No Pup-cycles on Mr. Hufnagels’ Watch
Congratulations to our local hero, Mr. Hufnagel, who saved Mr. Pallante’s dog, Benson, from drowning in the lily pond. That water must have been mighty cold! Way to go, Hufie.
Mavericks Clamp Down On Saints
By Chip Knighton
Going by the numbers, the Miller boys basketball team only “won” one quarter on Tuesday night. But what a quarter it was.
The Mavericks put the clamps on visiting St. Anne’s-Belfield in the third quarter, turning a six-point deficit into a 13-point lead. Then they did enough to make the lead stand up in the fourth in a 73-70 victory.
The Saints (1-3) led by as many as eight points late in the second quarter and were up 43-37 going into the break. The third quarter was all Miller, with one Kodie Critzer field goal serving as the only St. Anne’s offense against 20 points for the hosts.
“I lost it a bit in the locker room,” said Miller coach Scott Willard. “It’s the first time I’ve gotten on them this year, even after Friday [a 61-51 loss to Woodberry Forest]. We cut out the full-court press and focused on our defense.”
That shift in strategy worked beautifully for the Mavericks (1-1), who got eight points from Andrew White in the third and ended the quarter on a 16-0 run.
“We’ve had four third quarters like that,” said St. Anne’s coach Brian Kent before reconsidering. “Not that bad. Pretty bad, though. … We’ve got to be able to come out of the locker room with fire.”
St. Anne’s wouldn’t go quietly, however, scoring the first eight points of the fourth quarter and adding a 7-0 run late in the game to cut the lead to three at 67-64.
Chase Cannon converted a three-point play to give Miller some breathing room, but Brett Johnson scored four straight points to bring the Saints within a bucket at 70-68 with 1:30 remaining. Janeil Jenkins scored on a backdoor cut to push the lead to four, but Critzer sank two free throws at the other end. White scored what would prove to be the game’s last point, making one of two free throws with 18.8 seconds remaining, but missing the second to give St. Anne’s a chance to tie.
After a timeout, Critzer came off a pair of screens, but couldn’t shake free and passed to Taylor Ratliff in the corner. Ratliff found Johnson at the top of the key, but the forward’s contested shot bounced off the rim, preserving the victory for Miller.
White led the Mavericks with 19 points, doing most of his damage off backdoor cuts in the decisive third quarter.
“That’s a set offense,” White said, “so everybody can do things easily. Everybody can get a jump shot, but if you’re cutting, that’s a different story. … I wasn’t taking many jumpers, so I wanted to keep cutting and get to the basket.”
Jenkins had 13 points for Miller and Cannon added 12.
Critzer scored 21 points to lead four St. Anne’s players in double figures. Jordan Davis had 16 points six rebounds, tying teammate Jeff Jones for the game high on the boards. Johnson had 14 points and Charlie Murray came off the bench to score 11.
St. Anne’s returns to action on Friday at home against Collegiate. Miller travels to North Cross today for the second of four games in five days, hoping to put together four quarters like its 20-1 third period against the Saints.
“We made a statement about what we can be and what we can do,” Willard said. “… We put together one quarter of Miller basketball.”
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Headmaster’s Corner
“Kindness can become its own motive. We are made kind by being kind.” (Eric Hoffer 1902-1983 Philosopher)
So, what do you hear in assemblies the most – We stick together, and we take care of each other. For me, that’s kind of a natural concept because that was often what we did when I grew up. The part that was different then from today was that we did so in several different groups. We had our classmates who knew we were going to succeed because we were willing to do the work; however, we usually tried to help those who were having a hard time. They didn’t need to ask for our help; we just offered it to them. What we learned was that it probably helped us as much as it did them. Have you ever tried to tutor someone – it really helps you understand what you are explaining.
We did the same on teams. We all knew that we wanted to win, but it was going to take the entire team to win. For those who were struggling getting into shape or learning a play, we would usually offer a tip or a hand or show them how to do something after practice. They appreciated it, and out team got better. Nevertheless, we didn’t do it because the coach told us to do so; we just knew it made sense; but, you know, the people we helped never forgot it.
We even did the same in the neighborhood. In those days we hung out at each others’ homes shooting baskets or throwing some kind of ball. We all became philosophers or psychologists when we tried to help each other solve problems from home, among friends, or, frequently, of love.
What did it cost us? Not much, perhaps a little time, but as they say – those were the best of times. What does this mean for you? In fact you know: you know someone who needs a smile, a hand, or a pat on the back. You know because that’s the kind of person you are. Be kind to someone today.
Miller Graduate Crawford Simpkins Named In Collegiate Who’s Who
Click HERE for the article.
9th Grade Blackfriars Trip
The 9th grade attended a performance of Mecbeth at Blackfriars’ playhouse in Stauton and stayed for the question and answer period with the actors afterwards. They then enjoyed themselves at a local park before returning to school. Click HERE for a slideshow.
Miller School of Albemarle 