After four district losses all by single digits, including three in which they had fourth quarter leads, the Gladiators finally held on for a victory tonight as they rallied past the Staunton Storm 49-46. To pick up the victory they had to make up a seven point deficit over the last two minutes and then everyone in the gym held their breath as a desperation three from the visitors that would have forced overtime went about 60 % down into the basket before rimming back out. If you watch the NFHS video, that part might not be so clear but it was definitely right on the money and the Gladiators dodged a bullet.
The key to the win was composure as the Gladiators cut down on their turnovers tonight, as compared to last night's loss to Buffalo Gap. If anything they became the aggressors and forced The Storm into a number of errors down the stretch. Also this was one of the few cases this season where the Big Red had the height advantage as this year's Staunton team is lacking any kind of big man and instead relies on their quickness.
Still, Staunton took the early lead in the game and held it for about 30 of the 32 minutes. But the margin never went above the 7 points and in fact a Ryan Farris triple to end the first half trimmed it to 24-22 and most likely inspired a pep talk in the locker room. Bennett Dunlap and Tye Morris combined for four more threes in the second half to keep the Big Red in the game, but by far the most impactful player on the floor for Riverheads tonight was senior forward Levi Byer.
He does not have a particularly imposing physical presence but he can leap out of the gym so he garnered a number of key rebounds tonight. But his REAL specialty is drawing the charge and tonight that skill was on full display. He drew at least five that I recall at key stages of the game, including one out near midcourt, which is not an easy thing to do. He is not the least bit afraid to sacrifice his body and in fact in a recent game at Fort Defiance, he single-handedly fouled out the Indians' leading scorer by drawing five charges on him. Maybe they don't even keep that as an official stat but it was definitely one of the keys to tonight's win.
The threesome tonight of Farris, Dunlap and Byer all hit double figures with 15, 11, and 11, but Morris' triple came at a key time in the game, as did crucial stickbacks down the stretch by Noah Williams and Landon Lightner. Lightner's bucket was especially impressive as he fired it up while falling down and landed on his rear end before the ball found the bottom of the basket. He also had a key block late in the game that he sent into the cheap seats.
With Staunton nursing the above-described 7-point lead and time running short, it looked as if the Big Red was about to suffer another disappointing loss, but they found a way to pull it out. Dunlap's final triple cut the Staunton lead to a single digit and moments later a Byer foul shot tied things up at 44-44. The second charity toss missed the mark, but Staunton could not corral the rebound, which gave RHS the ball again with exactly 30 seconds on the clock.
That set the stage for a frantic finish. Farris somehow worked his way inside for a bucket and drew a foul at the 16 second mark. He completed the old-fashioned to give the Gladiators their biggest lead of the night and for that matter, only their second or third lead of the game. The Storm drove into the lane for what turned out to be their final basket of the night to make it 47-46. Needing to foul, they sent Byer to the line but this time he swished them both to account for the final margin. Staunton still had about 7 or 8 seconds and they drew up the play nicely but the shot just did not fall for them, giving RHS the much-needed victory.
The Gladiators are now 4-5 overall and will travel to William Monroe Monday night for what should be an interesting battle considering that the two teams will know absolutely nothing about one another. They will then wrap up a stretch of four games in five days when they host Fort Defiance Tuesday before getting a well-deserved rest.
Staunton won the JV game tonight 60-49 but if you appreciate good basketball, you would have to admit that this one was an absolute pleasure to watch. I say that because The Storm starts two of the tiniest little guys you will ever see on a high school team and for that matter, they keep both of them on the floor for the majority of the game. One is a freshman and the other an 8th grader, but they can each flat out PLAY and each one can shoot the lights out.
So even though Riverheads had an obvious size advantage and used it at every opportunity, they were still no match for the quickness and solid fundamental play of those two little dudes. When those two hit their growth spurts, they will terrorize any team that steps out on the floor with them. So my advice to the Shenandoah District is to beat The Storm while you can (same advice I had back during football season) because they are a team of the future.
But for now, major congratulations to the Big Red for this much-needed confidence-boosting win. My sources tell me that RHS needed this one badly to enhance their playoff chances, but for now, we still have over half the season left, and I for one see at least half a dozen other winnable games on the schedule, so let's hope they can build on this one.
The key to the win was composure as the Gladiators cut down on their turnovers tonight, as compared to last night's loss to Buffalo Gap. If anything they became the aggressors and forced The Storm into a number of errors down the stretch. Also this was one of the few cases this season where the Big Red had the height advantage as this year's Staunton team is lacking any kind of big man and instead relies on their quickness.
Still, Staunton took the early lead in the game and held it for about 30 of the 32 minutes. But the margin never went above the 7 points and in fact a Ryan Farris triple to end the first half trimmed it to 24-22 and most likely inspired a pep talk in the locker room. Bennett Dunlap and Tye Morris combined for four more threes in the second half to keep the Big Red in the game, but by far the most impactful player on the floor for Riverheads tonight was senior forward Levi Byer.
He does not have a particularly imposing physical presence but he can leap out of the gym so he garnered a number of key rebounds tonight. But his REAL specialty is drawing the charge and tonight that skill was on full display. He drew at least five that I recall at key stages of the game, including one out near midcourt, which is not an easy thing to do. He is not the least bit afraid to sacrifice his body and in fact in a recent game at Fort Defiance, he single-handedly fouled out the Indians' leading scorer by drawing five charges on him. Maybe they don't even keep that as an official stat but it was definitely one of the keys to tonight's win.
The threesome tonight of Farris, Dunlap and Byer all hit double figures with 15, 11, and 11, but Morris' triple came at a key time in the game, as did crucial stickbacks down the stretch by Noah Williams and Landon Lightner. Lightner's bucket was especially impressive as he fired it up while falling down and landed on his rear end before the ball found the bottom of the basket. He also had a key block late in the game that he sent into the cheap seats.
With Staunton nursing the above-described 7-point lead and time running short, it looked as if the Big Red was about to suffer another disappointing loss, but they found a way to pull it out. Dunlap's final triple cut the Staunton lead to a single digit and moments later a Byer foul shot tied things up at 44-44. The second charity toss missed the mark, but Staunton could not corral the rebound, which gave RHS the ball again with exactly 30 seconds on the clock.
That set the stage for a frantic finish. Farris somehow worked his way inside for a bucket and drew a foul at the 16 second mark. He completed the old-fashioned to give the Gladiators their biggest lead of the night and for that matter, only their second or third lead of the game. The Storm drove into the lane for what turned out to be their final basket of the night to make it 47-46. Needing to foul, they sent Byer to the line but this time he swished them both to account for the final margin. Staunton still had about 7 or 8 seconds and they drew up the play nicely but the shot just did not fall for them, giving RHS the much-needed victory.
The Gladiators are now 4-5 overall and will travel to William Monroe Monday night for what should be an interesting battle considering that the two teams will know absolutely nothing about one another. They will then wrap up a stretch of four games in five days when they host Fort Defiance Tuesday before getting a well-deserved rest.
Staunton won the JV game tonight 60-49 but if you appreciate good basketball, you would have to admit that this one was an absolute pleasure to watch. I say that because The Storm starts two of the tiniest little guys you will ever see on a high school team and for that matter, they keep both of them on the floor for the majority of the game. One is a freshman and the other an 8th grader, but they can each flat out PLAY and each one can shoot the lights out.
So even though Riverheads had an obvious size advantage and used it at every opportunity, they were still no match for the quickness and solid fundamental play of those two little dudes. When those two hit their growth spurts, they will terrorize any team that steps out on the floor with them. So my advice to the Shenandoah District is to beat The Storm while you can (same advice I had back during football season) because they are a team of the future.
But for now, major congratulations to the Big Red for this much-needed confidence-boosting win. My sources tell me that RHS needed this one badly to enhance their playoff chances, but for now, we still have over half the season left, and I for one see at least half a dozen other winnable games on the schedule, so let's hope they can build on this one.
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