Drawing Charges, Changing Momentum

HANNAH RUHOFF

Athens High School basketball players Logan Maxfield (left), a junior who plays forward, and Isaiah Butcher (right), a sophomore who also plays forward, pose for a portrait at Athens High School on Feb. 13, 2018. (Hannah Ruhoff | Staff Photographer)

02.15.18

Trevor Colgan / For The Post

A whistle blown. A technical called. And as Justin Hynes approached the free throw line for the Athens Bulldogs, clapping was heard.

The clapping was coming from Logan Maxfield, the Bulldog who always seems to be drawing fouls to try to get momentum back going Athens’ way. He was clapping because he was back to his old tricks.

Whether it’s charges, drawing shooting fouls or baiting technical fouls. It doesn’t seem to matter. Maxfield is always on the floor, always around the play and always trying change the shape of the game.

Sometimes, however, he has to pay the price.

“It really hurts sometimes, man,” Maxfield laughed.

Hurt might be an understatement, as Maxfield, a junior, has elbow bursitis that flares up randomly. But, in the moment, he probably doesn’t feel it.

“I think it’s a delayed pain,” Robert Maxfield, Logan’s dad, said. “It’s take the charge first, feel the pain later.”

Baiting the other team into committing a technical foul in a close game isn’t the only example of Logan changing the game in the Bulldog’s favor. In Athens’ Jan. 30 win over Jackson, Logan made a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up one point, then took a charge on the other end. Those two plays ended up as the biggest of the game, but coach Mickey Cozart pointed out another play by Maxfield that he was more impressed with.

Cozart raved about the play Logan made a little before his last-minute heroics. On a loose ball, Logan dove from almost out of nowhere onto the floor, getting possession of the ball for the Bulldogs. Every Bulldog on the floor and on the bench was fired up, and it was an almost visible shift in momentum.

“That’s big time stuff,” Cozart said. “Guys that play like that, can play for me, anytime.”

Logan has countless other examples of changing the game in the Bulldogs’ favor. It normally looks like this: someone, often times Logan, forces a turnover — either by poking the ball out or by jumping a passing lane — then Logan finishes his layup at the hoop by getting fouled.

The physicality Logan plays with may come from his other sport: football. On fall Friday nights, the hits he makes while tackling his opposition is what’s heard. And on winter Friday nights, Logan’s back hitting the hardwood after drawing a charge is what’s heard. One may hurt a little more than the other for Logan, but both change the game positively for the Bulldogs.

“Football fuels basketball, and basketball fuels football,” Robert said.

While his dad sees the connection between the two sports, one big difference remains.

“I don’t have pads on or anything,” Logan said.

The fire that Logan plays with doesn’t just come against opponents, it can come in practice, against his teammates, too.

Standing around, shooting free throws at the end of practice, he takes a few steps back, gets a running start and reaches for the rim. On the way up, he grabs and holds.

“Oh, look at Logan, he can jump,” junior Eli Chubb yelled from across the gym.

So Logan tries again, this time trying with two hands. He misses the rim, slipping and falling on his landing.

“I knew that was going to happen,” Cozart said with a laughing.

One more try for Logan, this time on one of the main hoops in the gym, not the side ones he had tried on at first. He does it again, rocking the rim this time.

“Told you I could do it,” he yells as his teammates congratulate him and celebrate with him.

Logan’s attempts start others in trying to grab rim or dunk. He may have not been the best to do it, but he was the first to try it and get his team going, just like he does during a game.

Development by: Alex Vella / For The Post