Visiting Riverheads was in contention for most of the game tonight, even leading by three at halftime, but a quick, aggressive Panthers team turned the tide in the second half and pulled away to a 64-49 win, ending the Gladiators' season at 5-8.
First of all, kudos to RCHS for putting this game on Youtube. That viewing experience was 500% better than anything I have seen this season on NFHS. There were occasional freeze ups but they only lasted a second or two and the overall quality was quite good. I especially liked the actual scoreboard appearing on the screen for the duration of the game.
The Big Red got a solid first half out of junior point guard Ryan Farris and senior guard D'ante Gray as the duo led the Gladiators to a 31-28 lead after a see-saw first half. They would eventually combine for 34 points. However the Panther defense was COMPLETELY stifling the Big Red's team leader and high scorer Adam Painter. The senior, who averaged in the 18-20 point range this season, was held to just four very early points and was never a factor in the Riverheads offensive scheme.
Not knowing the RC roster or the exact strategy employed I can't give credit where it is certainly due, but whatever they did, they frustrated the sharpshooter like no other team had been able to do this season. However, his career should not and will not be defined by this one game and deservedly he earned All-District honors, as just announced today, with Farris and Gray making the second team.
From watching online it appeared that the overall key to the Panther victory was their incredibly active hands. Time after time, Riverheads would appear to have a rebound safely secured but the home team would not give up and even though it might take an extra swat or two, they would come up with the loose ball more often than not.
The same thing was true with the Riverheads passing game and ball-handling. The interception of normally safe passes and simply stripping the ball away came easily to the Panthers all night long as Riverheads simply could not match their quick reflexes. If they really are as slick as they looked tonight on camera, then their game at Altavista should be quite the interesting match-up.
Best of luck to the Panthers for that long journey, especially considering that the weather sounds horrible for the rest of this regional week. Meanwhile, Gladiator fans have already started to lick their chops after a nearly 15-month wait for football season, with the opening game against Tazewell set for Saturday afternoon the 27th. The Big Red will be loaded again this season and a "fivepeat" is very much a reachable goal.
Speaking of state championships, the Lady Gladiators are still in search of theirs and will play tomorrow night, which is to say Wednesday night, for the Region B title at Riverheads. Best of luck to them in that quest, considering that they have come close a few times in the past. The smaller scope of the playoffs means that RHS just needs three more victories to bring home the gold.
First of all, kudos to RCHS for putting this game on Youtube. That viewing experience was 500% better than anything I have seen this season on NFHS. There were occasional freeze ups but they only lasted a second or two and the overall quality was quite good. I especially liked the actual scoreboard appearing on the screen for the duration of the game.
The Big Red got a solid first half out of junior point guard Ryan Farris and senior guard D'ante Gray as the duo led the Gladiators to a 31-28 lead after a see-saw first half. They would eventually combine for 34 points. However the Panther defense was COMPLETELY stifling the Big Red's team leader and high scorer Adam Painter. The senior, who averaged in the 18-20 point range this season, was held to just four very early points and was never a factor in the Riverheads offensive scheme.
Not knowing the RC roster or the exact strategy employed I can't give credit where it is certainly due, but whatever they did, they frustrated the sharpshooter like no other team had been able to do this season. However, his career should not and will not be defined by this one game and deservedly he earned All-District honors, as just announced today, with Farris and Gray making the second team.
From watching online it appeared that the overall key to the Panther victory was their incredibly active hands. Time after time, Riverheads would appear to have a rebound safely secured but the home team would not give up and even though it might take an extra swat or two, they would come up with the loose ball more often than not.
The same thing was true with the Riverheads passing game and ball-handling. The interception of normally safe passes and simply stripping the ball away came easily to the Panthers all night long as Riverheads simply could not match their quick reflexes. If they really are as slick as they looked tonight on camera, then their game at Altavista should be quite the interesting match-up.
Best of luck to the Panthers for that long journey, especially considering that the weather sounds horrible for the rest of this regional week. Meanwhile, Gladiator fans have already started to lick their chops after a nearly 15-month wait for football season, with the opening game against Tazewell set for Saturday afternoon the 27th. The Big Red will be loaded again this season and a "fivepeat" is very much a reachable goal.
Speaking of state championships, the Lady Gladiators are still in search of theirs and will play tomorrow night, which is to say Wednesday night, for the Region B title at Riverheads. Best of luck to them in that quest, considering that they have come close a few times in the past. The smaller scope of the playoffs means that RHS just needs three more victories to bring home the gold.
