You might think that consecutive games played in the same gym would at least "somewhat" resemble each other. But that was not the case at Riverheads tonight.
After a knockdown, drag out, all-out war against Stuarts Draft Wednesday night that had bodies flying and fans howling from start to finish, tonight's game with Stonewall Jackson had the volume level of a library and about as much controversy as a Sunday School lesson. Of course that probably had something to do with the fact that Riverheads took a 6-0 lead less than 30 seconds into the game and stretched that margin to 24-5 by the end of the first quarter, thereby ending any suspense about the outcome VERY quickly.
Also worth noting, and perhaps a factor, was a totally unknown officiating crew. Those in my crowd commented that we had never seen any of them before and if they did not generate the kind of uproar in the stands that we sometimes hear, maybe that means that they did such a good job that the fans had nothing to complain about.
Whatever the case, Zack Adams picked up where he left off Wednesday night to open tonight's contest. He had given us a clinic that night in how to execute the "old-fashioned" three point play, as he converted three of them in about 3 minutes time. So tonight, he drove down the lane and drew the foul and went to the line just 13 seconds into the game. Then on RHS' next possession, he knocked down a three-pointer the newer and more exciting way to personally give the home team its early lead. He would go on to have 10 points by the end of the first period, although ironically he did not score again over the remaining three quarters.
But plenty of other Gladiators did, as an amazing six guys, more than half of the team, hit from behind the arc. In the first half, Drew Bond banked one in and Josh Kinzel connected from the deep left corner in front of the student section. Grant Painter hit one early in the third, and down the stretch, Adam Painter connected, Deacon Moore, normally an inside bruiser, stripped the nets, and Kinzel added a second one.
In terms of total points, Grant Painter led the Big Red with 16. Adams gave RHS a second double figure scorer, Honor Robinson had a season-high 9 points, Bond added 7, and Kinzel had six on his two triples.
However, as evidenced by the final score, the Gladiators won this one with their defense. In addition to limiting the Generals to just five in the first quarter, they held them to only ONE point in the third, and even that came with less than one second on the clock. The only bright spot in the Stonewall offense was junior guard Michael Stout, who hit four triples to lead the Generals with 12 points.
With the win tonight, the Gladiators stay in the thick of that four-team race for second place in the Shenandoah standings. I personally had expected all four to have four losses after tonight, but Wilson threw a monkey wrench into that idea with a mildly-surprising eight-point win at Lee tonight. As a result, the Hornets are now all alone in second with RHS and Stuarts Draft right behind, followed by the Leemen. Wilson visits Riverheads on Tuesday to try and solidify that second-place position.
In tonight's JV game, also a rather mild-mannered game compared to Wednesday, the Gladiators started out slow and gradually pulled away to a 49-34 win, to move their season record above .500 at 7-6. Ryan Farris had a nice game, Tylar Davis finished strong down the stretch, and in the crowd-pleasing moment of the night, the "little guy," 5'3" Gabe Milo, hit a nice baseline jumper to get into the box score.
Everybody can now stay inside and watch all the TV games to wait out this cold spell they say is coming. The aforementioned home game with Wilson on Tuesday will be Riverheads next action. That will actually be in the form of a varsity boy/girl doubleheader, with the boys opening the action at 5:30. The related JV doubleheader, originally planned for this coming Monday, has now been moved to the end of the season and will take place on Wednesday, February 6th.
After a knockdown, drag out, all-out war against Stuarts Draft Wednesday night that had bodies flying and fans howling from start to finish, tonight's game with Stonewall Jackson had the volume level of a library and about as much controversy as a Sunday School lesson. Of course that probably had something to do with the fact that Riverheads took a 6-0 lead less than 30 seconds into the game and stretched that margin to 24-5 by the end of the first quarter, thereby ending any suspense about the outcome VERY quickly.
Also worth noting, and perhaps a factor, was a totally unknown officiating crew. Those in my crowd commented that we had never seen any of them before and if they did not generate the kind of uproar in the stands that we sometimes hear, maybe that means that they did such a good job that the fans had nothing to complain about.
Whatever the case, Zack Adams picked up where he left off Wednesday night to open tonight's contest. He had given us a clinic that night in how to execute the "old-fashioned" three point play, as he converted three of them in about 3 minutes time. So tonight, he drove down the lane and drew the foul and went to the line just 13 seconds into the game. Then on RHS' next possession, he knocked down a three-pointer the newer and more exciting way to personally give the home team its early lead. He would go on to have 10 points by the end of the first period, although ironically he did not score again over the remaining three quarters.
But plenty of other Gladiators did, as an amazing six guys, more than half of the team, hit from behind the arc. In the first half, Drew Bond banked one in and Josh Kinzel connected from the deep left corner in front of the student section. Grant Painter hit one early in the third, and down the stretch, Adam Painter connected, Deacon Moore, normally an inside bruiser, stripped the nets, and Kinzel added a second one.
In terms of total points, Grant Painter led the Big Red with 16. Adams gave RHS a second double figure scorer, Honor Robinson had a season-high 9 points, Bond added 7, and Kinzel had six on his two triples.
However, as evidenced by the final score, the Gladiators won this one with their defense. In addition to limiting the Generals to just five in the first quarter, they held them to only ONE point in the third, and even that came with less than one second on the clock. The only bright spot in the Stonewall offense was junior guard Michael Stout, who hit four triples to lead the Generals with 12 points.
With the win tonight, the Gladiators stay in the thick of that four-team race for second place in the Shenandoah standings. I personally had expected all four to have four losses after tonight, but Wilson threw a monkey wrench into that idea with a mildly-surprising eight-point win at Lee tonight. As a result, the Hornets are now all alone in second with RHS and Stuarts Draft right behind, followed by the Leemen. Wilson visits Riverheads on Tuesday to try and solidify that second-place position.
In tonight's JV game, also a rather mild-mannered game compared to Wednesday, the Gladiators started out slow and gradually pulled away to a 49-34 win, to move their season record above .500 at 7-6. Ryan Farris had a nice game, Tylar Davis finished strong down the stretch, and in the crowd-pleasing moment of the night, the "little guy," 5'3" Gabe Milo, hit a nice baseline jumper to get into the box score.
Everybody can now stay inside and watch all the TV games to wait out this cold spell they say is coming. The aforementioned home game with Wilson on Tuesday will be Riverheads next action. That will actually be in the form of a varsity boy/girl doubleheader, with the boys opening the action at 5:30. The related JV doubleheader, originally planned for this coming Monday, has now been moved to the end of the season and will take place on Wednesday, February 6th.
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