Riverheads scored the first 21 points of the game tonight and never looked back as they evened their record at 2-2 with a running-clock 64-22 win over the undermanned and undersized Bath County Chargers. The Big Red was able to control the boards and run at will because Bath only brought seven players, none of whom even remotely resembled a big man.
The Gladiators dominated the game so completely that all 10 players scored and half of them hit from behind the three-point arc. Just like last week's win at James River, three players scored in double figures with a fourth one just a bucket away. Henley Dunlap led the way with 14 points, followed by 11 from Will Gardner, 10 from Jackson Brammer, and 8 from J P Crawford.
The slow start for the Chargers lasted so long that they came within about 30 seconds of having a goose egg on the board for the first quarter, which ended with RHS in front 23-2. Riverheads expanded the lead to 37-6 late in the second quarter, but Bath's Luke Turner did give the visiting fans a thrill when he stripped the net from almost half court to beat the first half horn.
The Chargers then had their most productive quarter in the third when they scored exactly half their final total. That briefly delayed the running clock but once it was put into effect late in the quarter, the game breezed on by and the gym was emptied by about 8:35.
Things will get tougher for the Big Red later this week as they hit the road twice. They will be at Stonewall Jackson Wednesday night, followed by a Friday night trip to Rocktown. That one could be a barn-burner based on the tightly-contested first game between the two. Following those two games, the Gladiators will then have the luxury of playing at home for five straight games, including a holiday tournament, and culminating with the Shenandoah District opener against Fort Defiance on January 3rd.
In tonight's JV game, another small Bath squad with only eight players hung around for a while before Riverheads pulled away for a 51-21 win, the Gladiators' first of the season. Coach John Woodrum was able to substitute liberally, which gave the home fans plenty of chances to cheer on their favorites. By far the biggest crowd-pleaser was the smallest Gladiator, 5'3' eighth-grader Jackson Berkstresser, who knocked down four three-pointers and the net barely moved for any of them.
The night was not a total loss for the Chargers as the Shenandoah website reports that they won the JV girls game played at Bath by a 28-24 count. That was the first loss of the season for the Junior Gladiators. There was no varsity game played because Bath is not fielding a varsity girls team this year.
Also worth mentioning was the highly successful season for the Bath football team that posted a 10-0 regular season record, but lost in the Region 1-C playoffs to Grayson County, which has now moved on to the state finals this Saturday. For a school with its limited enrollment, the Chargers put up a good fight just about every football season and have a couple of state championships to prove it.
Getting back to basketball, Riverheads will make the return trip to Warm Springs in mid-January.
