By TOM BONE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD — When the Tazewell Lady Bulldogs needed someone to add more bite to their floor game last week, Autumn Hash took it upon herself to be that person.
The sophomore attained her first varsity double-double, with 22 points and 11 rebounds, as Tazewell ended the week 2-1 — and she stepped into the winner’s circle as the latest Pocahontas Coal Association-Bluefield Daily Telegraph player of the week.
Hash said that after a 65-41 loss at Grundy to start the week, Hash said, “I just got the mindset that we need to play harder and work harder. I figured someone needed to step up, and I tried my best knowing that the team needed me.”
The Tazewell center scored 15 points at Grundy, then had 19 points and eight rebounds in a 46-37 victory over Graham at Tazewell, followed by her double-double at home in a 51-36 win against Blacksburg.
But it wasn’t just her, she said. She spoke to her team and it had a positive effect.
New Tazewell head coach Jason Southworth said, “She voices her opinion to the girls, and they react. She’s a team leader. She’ll step up and say something ... and it helps the team.”
He said, “She’s doing a lot of the little things as far as rebounding, and doing a very good job of getting where she needs to be and making herself available for passes.”
She explained her double-double by saying, “I was rebounding more than I usually do, and I always have my team there for me, giving me good passes ... . My teammates have always been there for me.”
“Playing varsity this year, is a little bit different,” she said. “Last year, being a freshman and starting, was a little bit scary. This year I can settle down a little bit because I’m more used to it. That helps me concentrate on how the team can get on track.”
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She credited her brother Blake Hash, a senior on the boys team, with helping her learn basketball skills.
“My brother has helped me a lot with skill development,” she said. “We’ve definitely had that connection. He always tries to help me with my shot, post moves, dribbling — and I appreciate it.”
Taking the court with her brother and some of the other boys has “paid off a lot,” she said. “Playing with his friends, you’ve got to adjust. Especially playing with boys, they’re going to be quicker and stronger. You’ve got to hang in there.”
At 5-foot-11, Hash is one of the taller girl basketball players in the area, but that can be a mixed blessing.
“Sometimes it gives me an advantage, and sometimes it works against me, because the refs sometimes pay more attention to people who are taller,” she said.
“Just because you stand out, they’ll watch you and you’ve got to be sure you do things exactly right, like when you block a shot. ... I learned the hard way.”
Southworth said that her effort last week “was huge, as far as her rebounding and scoring goes, and keeping her out of foul trouble as well.
“She’s playing a lot more under control and that has helped her offensively. Staying relaxed and not being in a hurry, and listening, has helped her out a lot.”
In addition to her numbers on offense, she said she is committed to playing on both ends of the floor, she said.
“I like to play defense,” she said. “Defense wins the games for you — but it’s definitely hard work.”
She added that “staying out of foul trouble in the first half definitely helps. Then in the third and fourth [quarters], you can step up your game. But you have to play smart, always play smart.”
“We’re always working on defense. We have a lot of drills doing defense. [In games] sometimes we have little moments when we don’t do what we should, but we’re definitely working on it.”
“At practice we work hard. We run lots of drills. We don’t take it easy on each other. But we encourage each other.”
Southworth said, “No matter how we’re practicing, we’ve got to go after each other as much as can, whether you’re a starter or a bench player. You never know when you’ll have to go out and contribute. You’ve got to be able to perform.”
Southworth coached the JV the last couple of years and is in his first year as varsity boss. Hash said, “I think we’ve responded well to it. He does different things. He’s trying to build a program, and we appreciate him for that.”
“He doesn’t like to lose, and he lets you know, but we appreciate him very much.”
Hash said about the remainder of the season, “If we play like we know we can, we will do very well. We’ve got to stay together and play hard defense, which will lead to offense. We’ve got to encourage each other and stick together.”
Southworth said, “Honestly, I think they hold their own destiny. If they come out and compete and do their best every night, I think we’ll be in the thick of things. ... I know what their plans are and what they want to achieve; I know what they can do.”
“They’ve got to step out and compete and go for it.”
Southworth said about Hash, “She’s got unlimited potential. She saw what can happen when you work over the summer. She did a lot of AAU basketball over the summer.
“It’s really up to her how hard she wants to work, how far she can go with it. I think she could definitely play at the next level.”
He noted that Hash has been sidelined after she “caught an elbow to the eye” in the third quarter on Tuesday against Christiansburg. The cut required “seven or eight stitches,” he said. Meanwhile, another Tazewell post player, Katie Snapp, is walking around with a soft cast on an arm.
“We’re dealing with a little bit of injuries,” he said. The good news is that Tazewell will not play again until Jan. 3 at Graham, and begins district play on Jan. 6 at Carroll County.
“It’s always great when you’ve got two inside presences, and hopefully we’ll have them back,” he said. “Hopefully when district play comes around, we’ll be ready to go.”
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Special honorable mention goes to last week’s winner, Candace Brown of Summers County, for another exceptional week of action.
The floor leader of the Bobcats had 117 points and 36 rebounds in three games, along with at least 28 steals as the Class AA champions notched their 100th consecutive victory.

Dec. 12-17
Honorable mention
Bland County (1-0): Paige Brinkley, 17 pts, 5-for-7 in 3-point goals; Jessie Blessing, 10 pts, 5 assists, 7 stls; Kelsey Dinger, 9 pts, 11 reb.

Bluefield (1-1): Shelia Hopkins, 10 pts vs. Montcalm, 17 pts vs. Graham. Dazia Edwards, 16 pts vs. Montcalm, 8 pts vs. Graham.

Giles (1-2): Lyndsey Jackson, 15 pts vs. Graham; 23 pts vs. Narrows.

Graham (2-1): Liz Workman, 10 pts, 6 stls vs. Giles; 18 pts, 6 stls, 5 reb vs. Bluefield; 10 pts. vs. Tazewell. Leah Gillespie, 13 pts, 3 assists vs. Giles. Karly Morgan, 12 pts. vs. Tazewell; 6 pts, 6 reb vs. Bluefield. Ashley Moretto, 11 pts vs. Giles, 9 pts. vs. Bluefield.

Grundy (2-0): Loni Webb, 23 pts, five 3s vs. Tazewell; 15 pts vs. Richlands. Hannah Stiltner, 9 pts, 7 assists, 3 stls vs. Tazewell. Savannah Charles, 8 pts vs. Tazewell; 12 pts vs. Richlands. Morgan Hall, 12 pts, 13 reb vs. Richlands.

Montcalm (0-1): Miranda Kendrick, 15 pts and Hannah Johnson, 8 pts, both vs. Bluefield.

Mount View (2-1): Jordan Younger, 20 pts vs. Van, 12 pts vs. River View, 6 pts vs. Wyoming East. Ashley Belfiore, 16 pts vs. Van, 13 pts vs. Wyoming East.

PikeView (0-3): Hope Nester, 15 pts, 4 reb, 4 stls vs. Westside; 15 pts, 7 stls, 6 reb vs. Spring Valley; 8 pts, 6 stls, 4 reb vs. Mingo Central. Danielle Compton, 9 pts, 4 reb vs. Westside; 7 pts, 8 reb, 5 stls vs. Spring Valley; 9 pts, 7 reb vs. Mingo Central. Jennifer Taylor, 13 pts, 3 assists vs. Westside. Holly Mack, 10 pts vs. Spring Valley. Laura Hill, 10 pts vs. Mingo Central.

Richlands (0-1): Cassidy Richardson, 12 pts; Jordyn Cole, 12 pts; Rachel Alley, 10 pts; Brittany Allen, 7 pts, all vs. Grundy.
Narrows (0-2): Tiffany Perdue, 9 pts vs. Giles.

River View (2-0): Chelsey Dobbs, 19 pts vs Mount View; 12 pts, 12 reb vs. Mountain Mission. Samantha Matney, 15 pts vs Mount View; 10 pts, 8 reb, 3 stls vs. Mountain Mission. Phyllis Waldron, 3 pts, 6 reb, 5 stls vs. Mountain Mission.

Summers County (3-0): Candace Brown, 34 pts, 17 stls, 10 reb vs. Greenbrier West; 37 pts, 14 reb, 11 stls, 6 assists vs. Webster County; 46 pts, 12 reb vs. Clay County. Brandy Morrison, 8 pts, 13 reb vs. Webster County; 12 pts, 9 reb vs. Clay County.

Tazewell (2-1): Taylor Catron, 18 pts vs. Graham; 6 pts, 8 assists vs. Blacksburg. Katie Snapp, 6 pts, 6 reb vs. Graham. Whitney Saunders, 13 pts vs. Grundy.

NOTE: Statistics include games reported in to the Daily Telegraph. Coaches are urged to report games and to make recommendations for the award.