Last week Riverheads won two games over Bath County and Stonewall Jackson by a combined total of 90 points. But the Big Red and its fans should be just as proud of tonight's losing effort considering the difference in the caliber of the opponent. The visiting Falcons came into the game unbeaten and with a line-up that will dwarf almost any team they play this season, yet they were never able to completely shake the undersized yet feisty Gladiators.
In all four quarters, Central started out strong and seemed ready to blow the Gladiators out of the gym, but in all four cases, the Gladiators were determined to at least keep the game respectable. That determination was especially evident in the fourth quarter when RHS put up 25 points and trimmed a lead that had reached as many as 22 points all the way down to just eight before Central was able to put out the fire.
The game started out slow as Central grabbed early leads of 5-0 and 7-2. But Riverheads made its first rally with a seven-point spurt to take the lead 9-7. The quarter ended in an 11-11 tie.
Central again scored the first few points of the second period but RHS was able to trim it to 24-19 at the break. The third quarter was the one in which the Falcons REALLY tried to put the Gladiators to bed. They scored at will from the three-point land but also started to find 6'4" Luke Williams inside after he had been quiet by his standards in the first half.
The lead reached as many as 22 and was still 51-30 heading into the final period, making fans wonder if the Falcons would continue to pour it on and possibly embarrass the Gladiator fans by putting them through a running clock home loss.
But the Big Red was determined to fight to the end and in the fourth they were the ones that put up the big numbers and found the range from behind the arc. The score got as close as 62-54 before the Big Red simply ran out of time.
Once again, as they have all season, RHS had a balanced scoring attack as Henley Dunlap led the way with 16, followed by Will Gardner's 11. Three other guys, J P Crawford, Jackson Brammer, and freshman Jaxon Duff, all finished within a bucket of double figures, scoring 9, 8, and 7 respectively. As a team, the Gladiators hit a respectable eight three-pointers.
With the loss, Riverheads drops to 3-4 on the season, but there are some winnable games coming up, starting with a visit from James River Friday night for a varsity only game. Then between the holidays they will host their own tournament, which they won last year and just might do it again this year. On paper it looks as if they can be above .500 when Fort Defiance comes calling on January 3rd for the district opener. Central as mentioned is unbeaten and looks to be the Bull Run favorite this year, along with Luray.
In tonight's JV game, the Big Red suffered through two sluggish quarters (the first and third) allowing Central to post a 45-22 win. The Falcons have seven sophomores on that team to only one eighth-grader, but that is a simple matter of numbers, since the Central varsity team has 13 upperclassmen, meaning there is simply no room for the sophomores. Riverheads' JV team is the exact opposite as there are five eighth-graders that play significant minutes, so unfortunately these kind of games may be the norm for the Baby Gladiators until some growth spurts kick in.
In all four quarters, Central started out strong and seemed ready to blow the Gladiators out of the gym, but in all four cases, the Gladiators were determined to at least keep the game respectable. That determination was especially evident in the fourth quarter when RHS put up 25 points and trimmed a lead that had reached as many as 22 points all the way down to just eight before Central was able to put out the fire.
The game started out slow as Central grabbed early leads of 5-0 and 7-2. But Riverheads made its first rally with a seven-point spurt to take the lead 9-7. The quarter ended in an 11-11 tie.
Central again scored the first few points of the second period but RHS was able to trim it to 24-19 at the break. The third quarter was the one in which the Falcons REALLY tried to put the Gladiators to bed. They scored at will from the three-point land but also started to find 6'4" Luke Williams inside after he had been quiet by his standards in the first half.
The lead reached as many as 22 and was still 51-30 heading into the final period, making fans wonder if the Falcons would continue to pour it on and possibly embarrass the Gladiator fans by putting them through a running clock home loss.
But the Big Red was determined to fight to the end and in the fourth they were the ones that put up the big numbers and found the range from behind the arc. The score got as close as 62-54 before the Big Red simply ran out of time.
Once again, as they have all season, RHS had a balanced scoring attack as Henley Dunlap led the way with 16, followed by Will Gardner's 11. Three other guys, J P Crawford, Jackson Brammer, and freshman Jaxon Duff, all finished within a bucket of double figures, scoring 9, 8, and 7 respectively. As a team, the Gladiators hit a respectable eight three-pointers.
With the loss, Riverheads drops to 3-4 on the season, but there are some winnable games coming up, starting with a visit from James River Friday night for a varsity only game. Then between the holidays they will host their own tournament, which they won last year and just might do it again this year. On paper it looks as if they can be above .500 when Fort Defiance comes calling on January 3rd for the district opener. Central as mentioned is unbeaten and looks to be the Bull Run favorite this year, along with Luray.
In tonight's JV game, the Big Red suffered through two sluggish quarters (the first and third) allowing Central to post a 45-22 win. The Falcons have seven sophomores on that team to only one eighth-grader, but that is a simple matter of numbers, since the Central varsity team has 13 upperclassmen, meaning there is simply no room for the sophomores. Riverheads' JV team is the exact opposite as there are five eighth-graders that play significant minutes, so unfortunately these kind of games may be the norm for the Baby Gladiators until some growth spurts kick in.
