Since it was pouring outside tonight, it only stood to reason that the Gladiators "rained down" three pointers, 15 of them to be exact, as RHS evened its record at 5-5 with a 69-42 dismantling of the visiting Generals. That total sets a new record for Riverheads, and in case you are thinking "haven't I heard this story before?" the Gladiators had already set a new mark for themselves a few games ago when they hit 14 in a game out at Bath County. After tonight's new record, I have them unofficially averaging 9.5 made triples per game.
The most amazing thing about tonight's game was the TOTAL team effort involved, not only in the win, but in the setting of that record. For the second game in a row, all nine players scored, with each one scoring at least four points tonight. As for the 15 three-pointers, seven of the nine hit at least one, and even the two guys that didn't hit any still had several attempts as the Gladiators ran a clinic tonight in making the extra pass and finding the open man on the perimeter.
The outcome was never in doubt as RHS scored the first 10 points of the game and held MV scoreless until the 3 minute mark of the first quarter. With Will Gardner hitting the first two triples and Aden Slack adding two quick inside buckets, the Gladiators went on to take a 15-4 lead after one.
Knowing that Wilson comes to Greenville tomorrow night, Coach Weller then started to substitute frequently and a pair of sophomores, Henley Dunlap and Jackson Brammer, combined forces to score the majority of the Big Red's second quarter points and to no great surprise, each of them hit a triple, as the teams went to the locker rooms with RHS in front 27-13.
To further illustrate the total team effort, the second half belonged to a pair of senior starters, Carter Mooneyham and Gabe Milo. Each had been held scoreless in the first half, but found the range in the second and finished with 12 and 9 points respectively.
The third quarter ended with RHS ahead 47-28 and at that point, they had only hit nine threes, so the Bath County record of 14 seemed safe. But the shots kept falling for the Big Red. Chris Brooks became the seventh guy to hit from behind the arc, and when Gardner dropped in his fifth of the evening, that set the new mark. In addition to his five, Mooneyham had 3, Milo and Bennett Dunlap had two each, and Brooks, Brammer and Henley Dunlap had one each.
So the Big Red's third straight victory is in the books and as mentioned above, Wilson comes to town tomorrow night for what should be a very interesting county rivalry clash. The questions to be answered will be: Have the Gladiators developed enough confidence that they can take down the Hornets who have arguably the Shenandoah's best player in Finn Irving? Will the Hornets be "mad as one" after losing at Fort Defiance Tuesday night? Will the Green and Gold perhaps have an advantage by being better rested or will the Gladiators still be raring to go after tonight's performance?
Why not come on out to Greenville tomorrow night and see for yourself? Or watch on NFHS assuming the game will be carried. I will of course have a report for you tomorrow night. One thing is for sure........the Shenandoah race is tight already and we are barely one-third through the schedule. With Waynesboro stunning Buffalo Gap Tuesday night in double overtime, each team in the league has now won at least one district game and no one is undefeated in district play. So it is literally anybody's game at this point.
In tonight's JV game, the Big Red entered play with a 6-2 record as compared to the MV juniors who were winless like their varsity team. To the Generals' credit they were a spunky bunch and Riverheads needed the better part of three quarters to assume control before they pulled away to a 48-28 win. Just like the varsity game, the coaches subbed frequently, knowing that Wilson tomorrow night will be a different animal.
