Earlier in the season, the Gladiators took a pair from Fort Defiance down in Greenville, winning the JV game by 5 and the varsity by 18. But it was payback time tonight in a big way as the Indians rolled to a very easy 59-33 JV win, followed by a 56-42 varsity win.
To paint an accurate picture, I have to give each school a hard time, but for different reasons. First of all, I know I sound like a broken record when I keep mentioning the poor attendance at high school basketball this season, but this had to be the worst night yet. Back in the 60s and 70s, Fort was by far THE most spirited school in the area and they would usually bring more people than the home team and their noise level would drown you out on your own floor. Surely I am not the only one who can remember that.
But tonight in this HOME game, it would be a stretch to say that the Indians had 75 people in the stands. Riverheads travels better some nights than others, but tonight I honestly think they had more people there than The Fort did. I just do not get it.
As for Riverheads, as much as I like to praise them, this simply was not their night and they never seriously threatened in either game. The JV game featured exceptionally hot shooting by the Indians and very early in the game, we may have actually had a dunk, and you have to admit that is almost unheard of on the JV level. It happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that I can't say for sure, but the kid just drove the baseline and if he didn't slam it, he came pretty close. The Fort varsity team was still on the bleachers at the time and they seemed appreciative of it, whatever it was.
The JV Indians jumped out to a 21-4 lead and although the Junior Gmen cut it to maybe 8 in the second quarter, they were never in this one. Fort shot extremely well from the three-point line and I would have to guess they just played their best game of the year. Their fans would of course know more about that than I would.
As for the varsity game, neither team really lit it up, but for Riverheads it was just a case of the shots not falling. It appeared that they were running their offense well enough and they were GETTING the shots, but they simply were not falling. I have them down for converting 19 field goals on the night, but I would say they missed at least 50 more and probably 20-25 of those simply rimmed out or came up short.
This will of course sound like an excuse for the loss, but the experts will tell you that when your shots are weak like that, it is a sign of fatigue, and if that is indeed what happened to Riverheads tonight, it is understandable, as this was their third game in four days, after having played Friday night and Saturday afternoon, both of which were also on the road. By contrast, I think Fort's last game was Friday and it was also at home. Whatever the case, Gladiator fans just did not see the same oomph out of their team that they are accustomed to seeing.
As always, they were led in scoring by the sophomore duo of Grant Painter and Braeson Fulton, but each scored well below his season's average, hitting for 14 and 8 respectively. On the positive side, the Gladiators did receive some much-needed help off the bench, with six-point games coming from reserves Josh Kinzel and Zack Adams. Those two finished out the game with some nice hustle play, and maybe that will help the starters rest in some small way.
However, with the Gladiators set to host R E Lee Tuesday night (that's right, four games in five calendar days!), they will REALLY have to reach back for that something extra to stay on the floor with the Leemen. If the Big Red could go into that one with fresher legs, it might be interesting, since they gave the defending state champs all they could handle in Staunton earlier this season in a 68-66 classic. But given the circumstances, the better-rested Leemen may roll this time as they have in most games this season.
The Gladiators then have two more games later in the week, traveling to Rockbridge on Thursday and hosting Buffalo Gap Saturday afternoon. This crazy pace is really nobody's fault, but is rather a combination of our extended football season and a weather postponement. Things should settle down in to a more manageable schedule once the post-season starts.
To paint an accurate picture, I have to give each school a hard time, but for different reasons. First of all, I know I sound like a broken record when I keep mentioning the poor attendance at high school basketball this season, but this had to be the worst night yet. Back in the 60s and 70s, Fort was by far THE most spirited school in the area and they would usually bring more people than the home team and their noise level would drown you out on your own floor. Surely I am not the only one who can remember that.
But tonight in this HOME game, it would be a stretch to say that the Indians had 75 people in the stands. Riverheads travels better some nights than others, but tonight I honestly think they had more people there than The Fort did. I just do not get it.
As for Riverheads, as much as I like to praise them, this simply was not their night and they never seriously threatened in either game. The JV game featured exceptionally hot shooting by the Indians and very early in the game, we may have actually had a dunk, and you have to admit that is almost unheard of on the JV level. It happened so quickly and so unexpectedly that I can't say for sure, but the kid just drove the baseline and if he didn't slam it, he came pretty close. The Fort varsity team was still on the bleachers at the time and they seemed appreciative of it, whatever it was.
The JV Indians jumped out to a 21-4 lead and although the Junior Gmen cut it to maybe 8 in the second quarter, they were never in this one. Fort shot extremely well from the three-point line and I would have to guess they just played their best game of the year. Their fans would of course know more about that than I would.
As for the varsity game, neither team really lit it up, but for Riverheads it was just a case of the shots not falling. It appeared that they were running their offense well enough and they were GETTING the shots, but they simply were not falling. I have them down for converting 19 field goals on the night, but I would say they missed at least 50 more and probably 20-25 of those simply rimmed out or came up short.
This will of course sound like an excuse for the loss, but the experts will tell you that when your shots are weak like that, it is a sign of fatigue, and if that is indeed what happened to Riverheads tonight, it is understandable, as this was their third game in four days, after having played Friday night and Saturday afternoon, both of which were also on the road. By contrast, I think Fort's last game was Friday and it was also at home. Whatever the case, Gladiator fans just did not see the same oomph out of their team that they are accustomed to seeing.
As always, they were led in scoring by the sophomore duo of Grant Painter and Braeson Fulton, but each scored well below his season's average, hitting for 14 and 8 respectively. On the positive side, the Gladiators did receive some much-needed help off the bench, with six-point games coming from reserves Josh Kinzel and Zack Adams. Those two finished out the game with some nice hustle play, and maybe that will help the starters rest in some small way.
However, with the Gladiators set to host R E Lee Tuesday night (that's right, four games in five calendar days!), they will REALLY have to reach back for that something extra to stay on the floor with the Leemen. If the Big Red could go into that one with fresher legs, it might be interesting, since they gave the defending state champs all they could handle in Staunton earlier this season in a 68-66 classic. But given the circumstances, the better-rested Leemen may roll this time as they have in most games this season.
The Gladiators then have two more games later in the week, traveling to Rockbridge on Thursday and hosting Buffalo Gap Saturday afternoon. This crazy pace is really nobody's fault, but is rather a combination of our extended football season and a weather postponement. Things should settle down in to a more manageable schedule once the post-season starts.
