Blue Devils born to run

Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2007

Springbrook’s boys basketball team likes to push the tempo. It can play a slow-down game as well, but really, the Blue Devils want to get up and down the floor. In two previous games against Magruder and Churchill, defensive slugfests kept Springbrook to an average of under 50 points per game.

Needless to say, the Blue Devils played ‘‘their game” on Monday.

Buoyed by 38 points from junior guard C.J. Garner, Springbrook literally ran away from Walter Johnson, getting their fast-break going en route to an 80-56 victory.

‘‘He was getting good outlets, we were rebounding very well and he was just flying down the floor,” said coach Tom Crowell, whose Blue Devils won their first eight games despite returning no starters from a year ago. ‘‘Everything we do feeds off our pressure, getting a deflection or a steal — that’s what we like to do. We preach and preach and preach defense.”

Swingman Micah Perry chipped in 14 points himself, as the Blue Devils (10-1 overall, 4-1 in the Montgomery 4A East Division) tallied a season-high in points. They also benefited from the loss of 6-foot-6 Wildcat forward Max Byrne, who turned his ankle in the first half and did not return.

It was the second straight victory for Springbrook, who beat Churchill, 54-40, on Friday after suffering their first loss of the season to Magruder. Those games were kept at a half-court style, unlike the many breakneck-paced games the Blue Devils dominated earlier this season. They have proven that they can win at a methodical pace, as also evidenced by a 51-48 win over defensively-inclined Whitman and a 53-45 ouster of Blair.