Bees' boys overpower Lancers in second half in Hive

As Brookville’s quarterback in football the past two seasons, Logan Thomas ran the show, getting the ball in the hands of his skill players or keeping it himself and using his size and athleticism to make big plays.

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On the basketball court, Thomas’ has assumed a similar level of leadership this winter, playing a variety of roles and keeping his teammates involved to make the offense click.

“He’s a utility man,” Brookville coach Chris Young said, noting the senior who played in the post in the past now brings the ball upcourt. “We take our best player and make him make decisions for us on the floor.”

In Tuesday night’s 56-40 win over Amherst, Thomas and frontcourt teammate Corby Weiss spearheaded a second-half surge that kept the Bees (14-4, 10-2 Seminole) in contention for both the Seminole District regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the Region III, Division 3 playoffs.

A dominating presence on both ends of the court, Thomas racked up 20 points, 17 rebounds, seven assists, five steals and blocked four shots.

“They were doubling up Logan, but he was able to find guys who were open,” Young said.

Weiss complemented him down low, adding 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

“Corby played really aggressively tonight, especially in the second half,” Young said. “We’ve got to have that.”

“It’s tough when you have to play against two guys who are 6-foot-7, 240 pounds,” added Amherst junior Anthony Rose, who played quarterback for the Lancers this past fall. “They’re heckuva players in both football and basketball.”

Amherst (9-9, 6-5), which already has locked up the No. 1 seed in the Region III, Division 4, playoffs, sank five 3-pointers in the first half, the last by Tyler Brown that tied it at 17.

After halftime, Amherst didn’t hit another 3 as Brookville extended its coverage on the perimeter and established itself in the paint.

“Weiss had his hands in my face so I couldn’t put it up or I would have missed or he would have blocked my shot,” said Rose, who finished with eight points.

Amherst’s top scorer, Jordan McCray, was held without a point while Mario Vaughn paced the Lancers with 12.

“We tried to limit his touches as much as we could,” Young said of McCray. “We put Dan Wallace on him most of the night and his main job was not to let him get the ball.”

The Bees drilled both of their 3-pointers after halftime, one by Jared King and one by Thomas.

“When we get Jared or anybody to hit an couple 3s, that opens things up inside,” Young said. “We got the ball inside a lot more in the second half.”

After sweeping its regular-season series with Liberty, Brookville could have clinched its third straight Seminole District title by winning out. But last Thursday’s loss at Rustburg left the door open for the Minutemen, who can force a one-game playoff with the Bees on Friday at Staunton River with a win Thursday over the Red Devils.