As folks say around here..."You can't make this stuff up." (I cleaned that one up for our more sensitive readers!) I am referring to the fact that at Stuarts Draft tonight both the JV and varsity game followed almost the exact same script, to the point that you almost thought you had seen the same game twice. To give you the punchlines first, SD won both games, taking the JV game 61-53 and the varsity 71-63.
But the similarities were mind-boggling. In each game it went like this................SD jumped out to a huge first quarter lead, threatening to blow the Gladiators out early.............The Big Red then started a second quarter comeback to get back within reach by halftime............RHS then went to intense pressure in the second half which rattled the Cougars............The Gladiators also warmed up from 3 point range to get back in the game.............They held the lead late in the game, only to see SD re-establish control and appear to be ready to end it in regulation..........RHS then hit a shot in the lane within the last two seconds to force overtime.........The Cougars then completely controlled the overtime to take the eight-point wins. The two games resembled each other THAT much!!!
Now for those of you who are still with me, here are the details, starting with the JVs. The Gladiators came into this one with a 4-1 record, having lost their first game of the season Saturday at Fort Defiance on a buzzer-beater. But when we saw the TALL line-up the Cougar Cubs put on the floor, it looked like it would be a long night. At times the Cougars looked like any one of their guys could make two or three Gladiators.
Sure enough the home team dominated the glass in the early going, with freshman Donovan Jenkins being especially dominant inside. In no time it was 15-3 and when the Gladiators did try to get off a shot, they were having trouble finding the range. But they finally settled into the flow of the game, and cut the halftime lead down to 32-23.
RHS then came out fired up in the third quarter, clamped a full court press on the Cougars and in no time had the game tied at 34, only to see the Draft score the final eight points of the third quarter to lead 42-34. That set the stage for Riverheads rally number two with Will Gardner and Jackson Brammer finding the range, including some timely three pointers.
The Gladiators took what turned out to be their one and only lead of the game at 47-46 midway through the fourth. But the Cougars could not seal the deal and a soft Brammer jumper tied things up 51-51 at the buzzer. However, as stated above, the Cougars kicked it into the next gear and ran away with the overtime victory. Still I would have to consider this the best game the Big Red JVs have played this season and I see some potential in this team, especially since I see some growth spurts coming.
In the varsity game, that same basket at the far end gave the Big Red fits in the early going as they bricked one shot after another. They were getting good position and rebounding well but the shots were rimming out left and right. The Cougars gave them plenty of chances at the foul line also, but even some of those were not finding the range. As a result, the first quarter ended 15-5 and it looked like the Maroon and White was headed for an easy win.
But Riverheads settled down and Tye Morris finally knocked down the first triple of the night for the visitors. (More on the subject of three pointers a bit later.) The Gladiators outscored SD 18-13 in the second period to make it a five point game at the break.
The Gladiators then exploded out of the locker room, utilizing the same full court press the JVs had used, and in no time they had their first lead of the game. They continued to pour it on, three different guys were bombing shots in from behind the arc, and by the end of three, it was 40-34 Riverheads.
The surge continued into the fourth and with 6 minutes give or take, the Big Red had its largest lead of the game at 45-36. But then came the turning point that allowed The Draft to get back in the game. First they hit a three to make it 45-39. Then on a drive into the lane, the basket was good and a foul was called. However the guilty Riverheads player reacted too strongly and was hit with a T.
That sequence allowed the Cougars to trim the lead down to 45-43 and the rest of the fourth quarter was downright frantic with numerous ties and lead changes. Finally Ryan Farris, who led RHS with what I am sure was a career-high 26 points, drove the lane and put up a short jumper that tied the score at 56 with just 1.9 remaining.
Again you only have to look above at the final to see how completely the Cougars dominated the extra session. My guess is that in both games, the Gladiators put so much effort into their comebacks that they just had nothing left.
For that reason, I hope I can assume that both Riverheads coaches had nothing but praise for their teams tonight. In both cases, there was a LOT of positive progress on display. For the varsity, I was especially pleased to see our balanced scoring come back, after Saturday's game in which only one player hit more than one field goal. But tonight, in addition to Farris' 26 points, Bennett Dunlap had 12, Noah Williams hit for 10, and Levi Byer and Morris finished with 7 and 6 respectively. I am sure Coach Weller will take four or even five guys scoring at that clip any time he can get it.
Also the Big Red found their three pointers tonight. If you recall after the Fort game I made you a wager that the Gladiators would hit at least six tonight. Well I expect you guys to pay up because Dunlap hit four to account for his dozen points, and Morris and Farris each hit two of them. In the case of Farris, they were his first two of the season as he does most of his damage from driving and dishing.
So as cheerleaders would have chanted if they were there "we're proud of our team," because this was a case of learning a lot more from a loss than you sometimes do from a win. The Gladiators may be in an 0-2 hole in the district, and with Wilson up next, that may not improve, but the effort was there tonight and that is what I am sure Coach Weller emphasized in the locker room afterwards.
As for the Cougars........not too shabby as they say for a team that lost its first six games of the season but now finds itself sitting at 2-0 in the league. Not knowing their personnel, I am reluctant to hand out too much in the way of individual praise, but I would say that Nathan Frame, Chase Schages, and Blake Stinespring did most of the damage. If I am leaving out a major contributor it is certainly not intentional.
Meanwhile, the girls teams did not play tonight as scheduled at Riverheads due to a COVID concern so I am sure the Powers That Be are already busy planning that make up date.
Last but not least, be sure to tune in Wednesday night for Virginia Tech at UVa to see if that one can stack up against this doubleheader we saw tonight! Tip off is at 9:00.
But the similarities were mind-boggling. In each game it went like this................SD jumped out to a huge first quarter lead, threatening to blow the Gladiators out early.............The Big Red then started a second quarter comeback to get back within reach by halftime............RHS then went to intense pressure in the second half which rattled the Cougars............The Gladiators also warmed up from 3 point range to get back in the game.............They held the lead late in the game, only to see SD re-establish control and appear to be ready to end it in regulation..........RHS then hit a shot in the lane within the last two seconds to force overtime.........The Cougars then completely controlled the overtime to take the eight-point wins. The two games resembled each other THAT much!!!
Now for those of you who are still with me, here are the details, starting with the JVs. The Gladiators came into this one with a 4-1 record, having lost their first game of the season Saturday at Fort Defiance on a buzzer-beater. But when we saw the TALL line-up the Cougar Cubs put on the floor, it looked like it would be a long night. At times the Cougars looked like any one of their guys could make two or three Gladiators.
Sure enough the home team dominated the glass in the early going, with freshman Donovan Jenkins being especially dominant inside. In no time it was 15-3 and when the Gladiators did try to get off a shot, they were having trouble finding the range. But they finally settled into the flow of the game, and cut the halftime lead down to 32-23.
RHS then came out fired up in the third quarter, clamped a full court press on the Cougars and in no time had the game tied at 34, only to see the Draft score the final eight points of the third quarter to lead 42-34. That set the stage for Riverheads rally number two with Will Gardner and Jackson Brammer finding the range, including some timely three pointers.
The Gladiators took what turned out to be their one and only lead of the game at 47-46 midway through the fourth. But the Cougars could not seal the deal and a soft Brammer jumper tied things up 51-51 at the buzzer. However, as stated above, the Cougars kicked it into the next gear and ran away with the overtime victory. Still I would have to consider this the best game the Big Red JVs have played this season and I see some potential in this team, especially since I see some growth spurts coming.
In the varsity game, that same basket at the far end gave the Big Red fits in the early going as they bricked one shot after another. They were getting good position and rebounding well but the shots were rimming out left and right. The Cougars gave them plenty of chances at the foul line also, but even some of those were not finding the range. As a result, the first quarter ended 15-5 and it looked like the Maroon and White was headed for an easy win.
But Riverheads settled down and Tye Morris finally knocked down the first triple of the night for the visitors. (More on the subject of three pointers a bit later.) The Gladiators outscored SD 18-13 in the second period to make it a five point game at the break.
The Gladiators then exploded out of the locker room, utilizing the same full court press the JVs had used, and in no time they had their first lead of the game. They continued to pour it on, three different guys were bombing shots in from behind the arc, and by the end of three, it was 40-34 Riverheads.
The surge continued into the fourth and with 6 minutes give or take, the Big Red had its largest lead of the game at 45-36. But then came the turning point that allowed The Draft to get back in the game. First they hit a three to make it 45-39. Then on a drive into the lane, the basket was good and a foul was called. However the guilty Riverheads player reacted too strongly and was hit with a T.
That sequence allowed the Cougars to trim the lead down to 45-43 and the rest of the fourth quarter was downright frantic with numerous ties and lead changes. Finally Ryan Farris, who led RHS with what I am sure was a career-high 26 points, drove the lane and put up a short jumper that tied the score at 56 with just 1.9 remaining.
Again you only have to look above at the final to see how completely the Cougars dominated the extra session. My guess is that in both games, the Gladiators put so much effort into their comebacks that they just had nothing left.
For that reason, I hope I can assume that both Riverheads coaches had nothing but praise for their teams tonight. In both cases, there was a LOT of positive progress on display. For the varsity, I was especially pleased to see our balanced scoring come back, after Saturday's game in which only one player hit more than one field goal. But tonight, in addition to Farris' 26 points, Bennett Dunlap had 12, Noah Williams hit for 10, and Levi Byer and Morris finished with 7 and 6 respectively. I am sure Coach Weller will take four or even five guys scoring at that clip any time he can get it.
Also the Big Red found their three pointers tonight. If you recall after the Fort game I made you a wager that the Gladiators would hit at least six tonight. Well I expect you guys to pay up because Dunlap hit four to account for his dozen points, and Morris and Farris each hit two of them. In the case of Farris, they were his first two of the season as he does most of his damage from driving and dishing.
So as cheerleaders would have chanted if they were there "we're proud of our team," because this was a case of learning a lot more from a loss than you sometimes do from a win. The Gladiators may be in an 0-2 hole in the district, and with Wilson up next, that may not improve, but the effort was there tonight and that is what I am sure Coach Weller emphasized in the locker room afterwards.
As for the Cougars........not too shabby as they say for a team that lost its first six games of the season but now finds itself sitting at 2-0 in the league. Not knowing their personnel, I am reluctant to hand out too much in the way of individual praise, but I would say that Nathan Frame, Chase Schages, and Blake Stinespring did most of the damage. If I am leaving out a major contributor it is certainly not intentional.
Meanwhile, the girls teams did not play tonight as scheduled at Riverheads due to a COVID concern so I am sure the Powers That Be are already busy planning that make up date.
Last but not least, be sure to tune in Wednesday night for Virginia Tech at UVa to see if that one can stack up against this doubleheader we saw tonight! Tip off is at 9:00.
