Riverheads 49 Parry McCluer 43 Final
- Thread starter kwhs95fan
- Start date
I saw who whole game. Riverheads played awesome, they just can’t handle full court pressure very well and almost gave it away. Soooo can we get that #1 yet???🤣🤣🤣🤣 All jokes aside, both teams played very well.
Yeah Lancaster will definitely get #1 in my next poll, barring an upset. Which I doubt they'll even have a game during the holidays
This one came as a surprise to me, especially when the first news I heard entering the gym was that RHS would be short two players tonight. And I do mean "short" as 6'2" Landon Lightner did not dress out, nor did leading scorer Bennett Dunlap, who stands 6'1". So I assumed that given those circumstances Hamilton would have his way with the much-smaller Gladiators.
The numbers did even out in the pre-game warm ups when it was revealed that PM also only had nine players on the court, but of course Hamilton was one of them, so I still did not have very high hopes for a Big Red victory. But when Ryan Farris fed Noah Williams for a lay-up to end the nip-and-tuck first quarter, the Gladiators took a 10-8 lead that they never relinquished.
They stretched that lead to five at the break, and then astonishingly outscored the Blues 17-4 in the pivotal third quarter. That put RHS ahead 37-19 going into the final period but you just had a feeling that PM might have a run left in them. However, it was not Hamilton but senior guard Jalen Mitchell who ignited their comeback attempt. He hit two threes early in the quarter and the Blues had it down to 8 at one point.
But the Gladiators kept their composure and held on for the big win. I believe the final score was the closest that it ever got in the second half.
The key to the win, as someone has already pointed out was the RHS defense. They used their quick hands and feet to deflect passes and disrupt the PM offense all night long. As for Hamilton, they did not allow him to dominate the game and in fact, he spent a lot more time outside than I would have ever expected, which I assume is not PM's normal preferred game plan.
When he touched the ball, the Gladiators double and triple and sometimes even quadruple teamed him, and although they certainly did not keep him from getting his touches, they kept him from taking over the game. One of the taller Gladiators that they were able to put on the floor tonight, 6'2" Ty Morris, used up all five of his fouls trying to keep Hamilton from having a big game.
As for who DID take over the game, that would have to be Riverheads' senior guard Ryan Farris. The Gladiator floor general played an awesome game in terms of controlling the offense and either getting to the foul line, getting his teammates there, or generating some nice back door cuts. One might have expected the Gladiators to try to win this one from behind the arc, but that was not the case at all as the Big Red only connected on one triple and that came from non-starter Aidan Slack early in the second quarter.
The Gladiators had exceptionally good luck getting the ball inside and scoring once they got there, sometimes going up and under Hamilton to get the job done. In addition to Farris' team-high 20, Levi Byer added 12 and Williams 9. All three of those guys, plus the aforementioned Mr. Dunlap, are averaging in double figures for the Big Red thus far this season, a nice balanced attack that hopefully will continue the rest of the way.
I am not the greatest at Xs and Os in this sport or any other, but I would say the Big Red won this one on hustle and desire and because they were not intimidated by Hamilton or either of the Blues' other inside threats, each of whom weighed in at over 200 pounds. By contrast, Williams is the only wide body that RHS can put on the floor and he outshined the Snider/Secrist duo. I have not heard any scoring for PM but I would guess that Hamilton and Mitchell probably combined for 30-35 of the Blues' points.
As mentioned the two teams will meet again Tuesday in Buena Vista. The theme to that game will be whether the Blues can win what will undoubtedly be a grudge match or will the Gladiators be able to withstand the PM home court advantage, even if they have Dunlap and Lightner back in uniform for that one. Tune in if you can't be there!
In the JV game, Riverheads could not find the range in the early going, but the trio of Henley Dunlap, William Gardner, and Patrick Buchanan got the party started in the second quarter. The Gladiators eased out to a seven point halftime lead, but just like their varsity counterparts would do an hour or so later, they put the game away with a nearly identical 18-4 third quarter, leading to a 50-26 final.
Both Gladiator teams are now 3-0 on the season and Tuesday's games will show us whether they are the real deal or if the defending state champs will bounce back and re-establish their spot at the top.
The numbers did even out in the pre-game warm ups when it was revealed that PM also only had nine players on the court, but of course Hamilton was one of them, so I still did not have very high hopes for a Big Red victory. But when Ryan Farris fed Noah Williams for a lay-up to end the nip-and-tuck first quarter, the Gladiators took a 10-8 lead that they never relinquished.
They stretched that lead to five at the break, and then astonishingly outscored the Blues 17-4 in the pivotal third quarter. That put RHS ahead 37-19 going into the final period but you just had a feeling that PM might have a run left in them. However, it was not Hamilton but senior guard Jalen Mitchell who ignited their comeback attempt. He hit two threes early in the quarter and the Blues had it down to 8 at one point.
But the Gladiators kept their composure and held on for the big win. I believe the final score was the closest that it ever got in the second half.
The key to the win, as someone has already pointed out was the RHS defense. They used their quick hands and feet to deflect passes and disrupt the PM offense all night long. As for Hamilton, they did not allow him to dominate the game and in fact, he spent a lot more time outside than I would have ever expected, which I assume is not PM's normal preferred game plan.
When he touched the ball, the Gladiators double and triple and sometimes even quadruple teamed him, and although they certainly did not keep him from getting his touches, they kept him from taking over the game. One of the taller Gladiators that they were able to put on the floor tonight, 6'2" Ty Morris, used up all five of his fouls trying to keep Hamilton from having a big game.
As for who DID take over the game, that would have to be Riverheads' senior guard Ryan Farris. The Gladiator floor general played an awesome game in terms of controlling the offense and either getting to the foul line, getting his teammates there, or generating some nice back door cuts. One might have expected the Gladiators to try to win this one from behind the arc, but that was not the case at all as the Big Red only connected on one triple and that came from non-starter Aidan Slack early in the second quarter.
The Gladiators had exceptionally good luck getting the ball inside and scoring once they got there, sometimes going up and under Hamilton to get the job done. In addition to Farris' team-high 20, Levi Byer added 12 and Williams 9. All three of those guys, plus the aforementioned Mr. Dunlap, are averaging in double figures for the Big Red thus far this season, a nice balanced attack that hopefully will continue the rest of the way.
I am not the greatest at Xs and Os in this sport or any other, but I would say the Big Red won this one on hustle and desire and because they were not intimidated by Hamilton or either of the Blues' other inside threats, each of whom weighed in at over 200 pounds. By contrast, Williams is the only wide body that RHS can put on the floor and he outshined the Snider/Secrist duo. I have not heard any scoring for PM but I would guess that Hamilton and Mitchell probably combined for 30-35 of the Blues' points.
As mentioned the two teams will meet again Tuesday in Buena Vista. The theme to that game will be whether the Blues can win what will undoubtedly be a grudge match or will the Gladiators be able to withstand the PM home court advantage, even if they have Dunlap and Lightner back in uniform for that one. Tune in if you can't be there!
In the JV game, Riverheads could not find the range in the early going, but the trio of Henley Dunlap, William Gardner, and Patrick Buchanan got the party started in the second quarter. The Gladiators eased out to a seven point halftime lead, but just like their varsity counterparts would do an hour or so later, they put the game away with a nearly identical 18-4 third quarter, leading to a 50-26 final.
Both Gladiator teams are now 3-0 on the season and Tuesday's games will show us whether they are the real deal or if the defending state champs will bounce back and re-establish their spot at the top.
