Boys - M7 District Tournament - 1st Round - Union 66 Ridgeview 51 - FINAL
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I was absolutely sold we were going to pull the huge upset and advance to the Region D tournament. Pack gave the Bears all they could handle for 3 quarters. The legs got weary in the 4th however and the gas tank ran dry and that was that, season over.
Union is a very vulnerable team right now. They can still earn a home game in the Region D tournament by beating Wise Central tomorrow night, but I believe it will be tough. More interesting for me now will be how many fans from the other 3 schools besides Gate City will actually make it into the gym tomorrow night. Lol
Union is a very vulnerable team right now. They can still earn a home game in the Region D tournament by beating Wise Central tomorrow night, but I believe it will be tough. More interesting for me now will be how many fans from the other 3 schools besides Gate City will actually make it into the gym tomorrow night. Lol
MOUNTAIN 7 BOYS: Garrison lifts Union past Ridgeview
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – The guard position in basketball demands a mix of physical talent and mental skills.
Union High School junior guard Noah Garrison learned the essentials from a master mentor. Tyler “Stick” Garrison, Noah’s brother, scored over 1,200 points as the point guard for now-defunct Powell Valley High School.
In Tuesday’s Mountain 7 District tournament game, Noah scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Union Bears to a 66-51 victory over the Ridgeview Wolfpack.
“My brother and I always played against each other growing up,” Noah said. “He taught me to be aggressive on the court, how to handle the ball, and how to shoot with good form. We were about even in those backyard games.”
The slender 6-foot-1 Noah Garrison started this season at point guard, but now sees time at shooting guard.
Tyler attends Wingate University where he is studying to become a physical therapist.
“Tyler watches our games online and I still get compared to him at times,” Noah Garrison said. “Tonight, we had a hard time on defense in the first half and we really had to step it up. We finally worked things out and made shots.”
Ridgeview led for much of the game, including a 29-27 advantage at halftime and a 37-33 margin with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
“We played Ridgeview here last year in the same situation and they were up by two points at the half,” Union coach Zack Moore said. “I thought they played with more of a sense of desperation than we did early.
“We were just 1 of 8 from the free throw at the half, so you’re going to have a close game that way.”
With the smooth Garrison controlling the pace and 6-3, 200-pound junior forward Justin Falin finding the range from the perimeter, the Bears pulled away with a 28-point explosion in the fourth quarter.
Six-foot-two, 230-pound senior forward Connor Giza supplied 13 points and nine rebounds for Union, while 5-8 sophomore Daemai Lester (12 points) and Justin Falin (11 points) also played well in spots.
“Noah is steady,” Moore said. “He made some nice drives late and then he made his free throws. That kind of put the game away.
Garrison hit eight straight free throws in the final minutes.
“I thought the second half was actually more about Justin and Daemai,” Moore said. “We stay on Justin because he’s capable of a game like that every night, and we need him.”
Ridgeview coach David Robinette said his squad did a nice job overcoming some obstacles.
“I thought our kids represented really well, but Union is a tough team to beat,” Robinette said. “They smacked us by about 50 points a couple weeks ago, so we came out and gave it all we could.”
The Wolfpack (10-13) frustrated Union on defense with full-court pressure traps and a zone which kept multiple defenders on 6-5 senior James Mitchell.
“We had to do something to make Mitchell work a little bit and away from the basket because we’re so undersized and we have a hard time rebounding,” Robinette said.
The tallest Ridgeview player is 6-2 senior Jesse Edwards. The Wolfpack went with a five-guard look at times to compensate.
“We practiced all week on who we were going to guard and it kind surprised that [Falin] knocked the shots,” Robinette said.
Five-foot-10 junior guard Gabe Counts led Ridgeview with 16 points, converting 12 of his 14 free throw attempts. Senior guard Jacob Yates added 14.
Robinette must replace six seniors from a 10-13 team.
“I thought we had a really good season,” Robinette said. “It’s just hard to get wins in this conference.”
Due to the flooding in far Southwest Virginia Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Ridgeview High School served as a temporary shelter for 18-20 people, Robinette said.
BIG STONE GAP, Va. – The guard position in basketball demands a mix of physical talent and mental skills.
Union High School junior guard Noah Garrison learned the essentials from a master mentor. Tyler “Stick” Garrison, Noah’s brother, scored over 1,200 points as the point guard for now-defunct Powell Valley High School.
In Tuesday’s Mountain 7 District tournament game, Noah scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Union Bears to a 66-51 victory over the Ridgeview Wolfpack.
“My brother and I always played against each other growing up,” Noah said. “He taught me to be aggressive on the court, how to handle the ball, and how to shoot with good form. We were about even in those backyard games.”
The slender 6-foot-1 Noah Garrison started this season at point guard, but now sees time at shooting guard.
Tyler attends Wingate University where he is studying to become a physical therapist.
“Tyler watches our games online and I still get compared to him at times,” Noah Garrison said. “Tonight, we had a hard time on defense in the first half and we really had to step it up. We finally worked things out and made shots.”
Ridgeview led for much of the game, including a 29-27 advantage at halftime and a 37-33 margin with 2:22 left in the third quarter.
“We played Ridgeview here last year in the same situation and they were up by two points at the half,” Union coach Zack Moore said. “I thought they played with more of a sense of desperation than we did early.
“We were just 1 of 8 from the free throw at the half, so you’re going to have a close game that way.”
With the smooth Garrison controlling the pace and 6-3, 200-pound junior forward Justin Falin finding the range from the perimeter, the Bears pulled away with a 28-point explosion in the fourth quarter.
Six-foot-two, 230-pound senior forward Connor Giza supplied 13 points and nine rebounds for Union, while 5-8 sophomore Daemai Lester (12 points) and Justin Falin (11 points) also played well in spots.
“Noah is steady,” Moore said. “He made some nice drives late and then he made his free throws. That kind of put the game away.
Garrison hit eight straight free throws in the final minutes.
“I thought the second half was actually more about Justin and Daemai,” Moore said. “We stay on Justin because he’s capable of a game like that every night, and we need him.”
Ridgeview coach David Robinette said his squad did a nice job overcoming some obstacles.
“I thought our kids represented really well, but Union is a tough team to beat,” Robinette said. “They smacked us by about 50 points a couple weeks ago, so we came out and gave it all we could.”
The Wolfpack (10-13) frustrated Union on defense with full-court pressure traps and a zone which kept multiple defenders on 6-5 senior James Mitchell.
“We had to do something to make Mitchell work a little bit and away from the basket because we’re so undersized and we have a hard time rebounding,” Robinette said.
The tallest Ridgeview player is 6-2 senior Jesse Edwards. The Wolfpack went with a five-guard look at times to compensate.
“We practiced all week on who we were going to guard and it kind surprised that [Falin] knocked the shots,” Robinette said.
Five-foot-10 junior guard Gabe Counts led Ridgeview with 16 points, converting 12 of his 14 free throw attempts. Senior guard Jacob Yates added 14.
Robinette must replace six seniors from a 10-13 team.
“I thought we had a really good season,” Robinette said. “It’s just hard to get wins in this conference.”
Due to the flooding in far Southwest Virginia Saturday night and early Sunday morning, Ridgeview High School served as a temporary shelter for 18-20 people, Robinette said.
It sure did look that way to me too while I was monitoring the game online......but like you said, they just fell short.
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