Two teams in desperate need of a victory collided tonight in Quicksburg and in a game that literally went down to the final horn, the Mountain View Generals squeezed past the visiting Gladiators 46-43. RHS had high hopes for a win tonight to break a three-game losing streak whereas the Generals were determined not to make it through the season winless and just needed to beat SOMEBODY.
Riverheads opened the scoring on a Gabe Milo steal and lay-up, but little did we know that early two-point lead would be the visitors' largest of the night. The Generals immediately went to work and streaked out to a 14-2 lead. The Big Red was having trouble finding the range but a nice five-point lift from senior Chris Brooks off the bench got them back to within 15-7 by the end of the quarter.
The Gladiators then settled into the game a little better in the second period as triples from the extended Dunlap family (Bennett and Henley) brought them back to within a single digit but MV still went to the locker room clinging to a 23-19 lead.
Riverheads came out more focused in the third quarter, scoring the first five points to take a 24-23 lead. But MV fought back to regain the lead and it was nip and tuck the rest of the way with the teams never separated by more than four points. RHS' leading scorer, sophomore Will Gardner, had been scoreless in the first half but came out firing in the second half and knocked down four triples to keep RHS in the game. He would go on to lead Riverheads in scoring with 12, followed by four other guys with six apiece.
But every time it looked as if Riverheads was ready to string together enough points to take charge of the game, the Generals would answer, with Even Estep, Michael Spaur, and Johnny Hasley doing most of the damage.
If I had to name a single factor that kept RHS from getting the push it needed to win tonight, it would have to be turnovers. The Gladiators definitely shot the ball well enough to win, hitting eight triples, but throughout the second half, they threw at least 8-10 contested passes right into traffic, and the opportunistic Generals either stole them or deflected them, and more often than not turned them into points at the other end.
The Gladiators simply could not get that aspect of their game under control and ironically it was a pair of turnovers in the final 20 seconds that decided the game. Riverheads had tied things up at 40 on Gardner's fourth triple, only to see MV ease back on top 44-40. The Big Red clawed back to within 44-43 but this time the Generals were the ones to throw the ball away, giving RHS one final chance with about 17 seconds left to make the big play and steal the crucial road win.
The Gladiators advanced the ball into the front court but instead of manufacturing the game winner, they committed yet another turnover, which led to a final MV lay-up at the buzzer as the small but boisterous Generals crowd roared their approval. Nice to see them finally win a game because nobody should ever have an O-fer season, but gosh darn, did they have to do it tonight?
Riverheads now gets a much needed break until next Tuesday when they will travel to Wilson. My sources tell me that the Gladiators' 7-11 overall record is still good enough to keep them in the running for a regional berth. I will take their word for it as I leave all that high math to people smarter than me.
The evening was not a total loss for the Big Red as they overwhelmed the Junior Generals 54-17 in the JV game that only took about an hour. The Gladiators were able to substitute liberally almost from the opening tip and some second and third stringers who don't always see much action were actually among the leading scorers tonight. The Big Red's domination was so complete that during one stretch from the first through third quarters, they scored 31 consecutive points.
They are now 12-5 on the season and Gladiator fans are optimistic about the future due to their size and depth. With the varsity having four strong sophomores this year and no juniors, it is easy to see how the Big Red should have a nice product to put out on the floor for the next two or three seasons.
Riverheads opened the scoring on a Gabe Milo steal and lay-up, but little did we know that early two-point lead would be the visitors' largest of the night. The Generals immediately went to work and streaked out to a 14-2 lead. The Big Red was having trouble finding the range but a nice five-point lift from senior Chris Brooks off the bench got them back to within 15-7 by the end of the quarter.
The Gladiators then settled into the game a little better in the second period as triples from the extended Dunlap family (Bennett and Henley) brought them back to within a single digit but MV still went to the locker room clinging to a 23-19 lead.
Riverheads came out more focused in the third quarter, scoring the first five points to take a 24-23 lead. But MV fought back to regain the lead and it was nip and tuck the rest of the way with the teams never separated by more than four points. RHS' leading scorer, sophomore Will Gardner, had been scoreless in the first half but came out firing in the second half and knocked down four triples to keep RHS in the game. He would go on to lead Riverheads in scoring with 12, followed by four other guys with six apiece.
But every time it looked as if Riverheads was ready to string together enough points to take charge of the game, the Generals would answer, with Even Estep, Michael Spaur, and Johnny Hasley doing most of the damage.
If I had to name a single factor that kept RHS from getting the push it needed to win tonight, it would have to be turnovers. The Gladiators definitely shot the ball well enough to win, hitting eight triples, but throughout the second half, they threw at least 8-10 contested passes right into traffic, and the opportunistic Generals either stole them or deflected them, and more often than not turned them into points at the other end.
The Gladiators simply could not get that aspect of their game under control and ironically it was a pair of turnovers in the final 20 seconds that decided the game. Riverheads had tied things up at 40 on Gardner's fourth triple, only to see MV ease back on top 44-40. The Big Red clawed back to within 44-43 but this time the Generals were the ones to throw the ball away, giving RHS one final chance with about 17 seconds left to make the big play and steal the crucial road win.
The Gladiators advanced the ball into the front court but instead of manufacturing the game winner, they committed yet another turnover, which led to a final MV lay-up at the buzzer as the small but boisterous Generals crowd roared their approval. Nice to see them finally win a game because nobody should ever have an O-fer season, but gosh darn, did they have to do it tonight?
Riverheads now gets a much needed break until next Tuesday when they will travel to Wilson. My sources tell me that the Gladiators' 7-11 overall record is still good enough to keep them in the running for a regional berth. I will take their word for it as I leave all that high math to people smarter than me.
The evening was not a total loss for the Big Red as they overwhelmed the Junior Generals 54-17 in the JV game that only took about an hour. The Gladiators were able to substitute liberally almost from the opening tip and some second and third stringers who don't always see much action were actually among the leading scorers tonight. The Big Red's domination was so complete that during one stretch from the first through third quarters, they scored 31 consecutive points.
They are now 12-5 on the season and Gladiator fans are optimistic about the future due to their size and depth. With the varsity having four strong sophomores this year and no juniors, it is easy to see how the Big Red should have a nice product to put out on the floor for the next two or three seasons.