BOYS BB: (2A) Stuarts Draft 106 (1A) Riverheads 79 - FINAL
- Thread starter pizzzzza
- Start date
BOYS BASKETBALL: Stuarts Draft 106, Riverheads 79.
Cougars drain 24 3s in the impressive road win.
(Is that some kind of a record? Does anyone know?)
I can only imagine what a fun team that is to play for - reminds me of the old Loyola Marymount teams of the 90s (Bo Kimble/Hank Gathers)
Cougars drain 24 3s in the impressive road win.
(Is that some kind of a record? Does anyone know?)
I can only imagine what a fun team that is to play for - reminds me of the old Loyola Marymount teams of the 90s (Bo Kimble/Hank Gathers)
Thanks for that info/confirmation - I was just curious if they had set some type of record tonight.
Since I had to watch UVa when I got home, I will keep my comments shorter than usual and if anything, will talk more about the JV game, which was a dandy. In fact, let me get to that first, since you already know most of the details about the varsity game.
SD had won the JV game the first time around 53-20, but RHS was short-handed that night because two of their best JV guys were moved up to varsity to avoid having to play just eight guys against the Cougar pressure. So tonight with the JV squad intact, it only stood to reason that the game would be more evenly-matched and boy, was it ever!
SD jumped out to a 7-0 lead as it took the Big Red a little time to get going. But they warmed up in the second quarter and took a 30-23 lead into the locker room. They continued to play well into the second half and were out-hustling the Cougars all over the floor, leading by as many as 16 points.
But the Draft caught its second wind (get it? Draft catching wind....I just made that up!) and fought back tenaciously in the fourth quarter. The Cougars finally made it all the way back and took a 55-54 lead with less than 30 seconds left. Riverheads then had the potential go ahead basket roll agonizingly off the rim with under 10 seconds left and had no choice but to foul on the rebound.
So SD went to the line with 6.6 seconds left, hoping to come away with a three-point lead. Instead the kid missed the first one, Riverheads grabbed the rebound and Adam Painter hustled downcourt and found Michael Robertson for the game-winning lay-up that rattled in at the horn. Coincidentally those are the two guys that had not been available in SD's earlier rout, so obviously their presence tonight made a difference. Without checking my scores, I believe the Big Red JVs are now 5-6 on the season.
OK about this varsity game........as we all know the key components of the Cougar game plan are: shooting as many three-pointers as possible, pressing full-court for virtually the entire game, and substituting frequently to keep fresh bodies on the floor. When all three components come together, they are going to win convincingly as they did tonight.
First of all there was a 14-9 roster advantage so it only stood to reason that Riverheads would get tired and the Cougars counted on that. But to the Gladiators' credit, they hung in there quite a while. As pizzzza's scoring update shows you, it was only a six-point game at the break and I think RHS had it down to either four or five at one point in the third quarter. For that matter, it was actually Riverheads that was on pace at one time for a 100-point game as the Gladiators had a 15-8 lead with maybe 4 1/2 minutes to go in the first quarter.
But the Cougars warmed up, or scorched the nets to be more precise, and outscored the Big Red 23-7 over the rest of the period. That gave them a working margin and they were able to maintain it.
As more and more threes found the bottom of the net, we all sat there figuring "they can't keep up this kind of shooting," but they did and if anything they stepped further out, hitting some from obvious NBA range. The amazing thing is that it was not just 2 or 3 different guys. I would be curious to know how many different Cougars hit tonight from behind the arc. I would be willing to bet it was at least 8 or 9 of the 14.
As for the pressure defense, it took its toll at times, but I guess you could argue that for Riverheads to score a season-high 79 points, they must have been able to break it quite a bit. The Gladiators put three guys in double figures, and had two others at 9 and 8, so for a badly outnumbered squad, they really didn't do that badly.
If I were the Big Red, I would just shake their collective heads, put this one in the rear-view mirror, and just accept the fact that this was the night the Cougars were destined to hit their 24 or 25 triples. I would then try to get plenty of rest and be as ready as possible for East Rockingham Friday, a team that clearly had its own problems tonight.
The Gladiators then return to the Coliseum next Tuesday and Wednesday for consecutive home games with Buffalo Gap and Rockbridge County. And who knows.....maybe the Cougars will have a game here soon where nothing falls for them, just to prove that they are human.
SD had won the JV game the first time around 53-20, but RHS was short-handed that night because two of their best JV guys were moved up to varsity to avoid having to play just eight guys against the Cougar pressure. So tonight with the JV squad intact, it only stood to reason that the game would be more evenly-matched and boy, was it ever!
SD jumped out to a 7-0 lead as it took the Big Red a little time to get going. But they warmed up in the second quarter and took a 30-23 lead into the locker room. They continued to play well into the second half and were out-hustling the Cougars all over the floor, leading by as many as 16 points.
But the Draft caught its second wind (get it? Draft catching wind....I just made that up!) and fought back tenaciously in the fourth quarter. The Cougars finally made it all the way back and took a 55-54 lead with less than 30 seconds left. Riverheads then had the potential go ahead basket roll agonizingly off the rim with under 10 seconds left and had no choice but to foul on the rebound.
So SD went to the line with 6.6 seconds left, hoping to come away with a three-point lead. Instead the kid missed the first one, Riverheads grabbed the rebound and Adam Painter hustled downcourt and found Michael Robertson for the game-winning lay-up that rattled in at the horn. Coincidentally those are the two guys that had not been available in SD's earlier rout, so obviously their presence tonight made a difference. Without checking my scores, I believe the Big Red JVs are now 5-6 on the season.
OK about this varsity game........as we all know the key components of the Cougar game plan are: shooting as many three-pointers as possible, pressing full-court for virtually the entire game, and substituting frequently to keep fresh bodies on the floor. When all three components come together, they are going to win convincingly as they did tonight.
First of all there was a 14-9 roster advantage so it only stood to reason that Riverheads would get tired and the Cougars counted on that. But to the Gladiators' credit, they hung in there quite a while. As pizzzza's scoring update shows you, it was only a six-point game at the break and I think RHS had it down to either four or five at one point in the third quarter. For that matter, it was actually Riverheads that was on pace at one time for a 100-point game as the Gladiators had a 15-8 lead with maybe 4 1/2 minutes to go in the first quarter.
But the Cougars warmed up, or scorched the nets to be more precise, and outscored the Big Red 23-7 over the rest of the period. That gave them a working margin and they were able to maintain it.
As more and more threes found the bottom of the net, we all sat there figuring "they can't keep up this kind of shooting," but they did and if anything they stepped further out, hitting some from obvious NBA range. The amazing thing is that it was not just 2 or 3 different guys. I would be curious to know how many different Cougars hit tonight from behind the arc. I would be willing to bet it was at least 8 or 9 of the 14.
As for the pressure defense, it took its toll at times, but I guess you could argue that for Riverheads to score a season-high 79 points, they must have been able to break it quite a bit. The Gladiators put three guys in double figures, and had two others at 9 and 8, so for a badly outnumbered squad, they really didn't do that badly.
If I were the Big Red, I would just shake their collective heads, put this one in the rear-view mirror, and just accept the fact that this was the night the Cougars were destined to hit their 24 or 25 triples. I would then try to get plenty of rest and be as ready as possible for East Rockingham Friday, a team that clearly had its own problems tonight.
The Gladiators then return to the Coliseum next Tuesday and Wednesday for consecutive home games with Buffalo Gap and Rockbridge County. And who knows.....maybe the Cougars will have a game here soon where nothing falls for them, just to prove that they are human.
If the record is 26, and they finished with 25, then they'd only be 1 shy. If they finished with 24 like 1i_Cougar stated, then they would be 2 shy.
