In one of the wackiest turnarounds I have ever seen, the Lady Gladiators dug themselves such a big hole that it almost became a cavern, but kept their composure and steadily worked their way back into the game and pulled away from the Lady Panthers tonight. RHS will now host Cumberland on Wednesday night with the winner advancing to the regional final but also clinching a state berth.
But for the first half of the first quarter, it looked as if Riverheads' season would come to a screeching halt as Rapp came out smoking. They started off with a two, then a three, then a four-point play, and when they added yet another three, it was 12-0 with 5:48 still remaining in the first quarter. There was then a brief lull with no scoring before they added yet another three to leave the Big Red staring up at a shocking 15-0 deficit. Olivia Atkins, the coach's daughter, was doing most of the damage for the visitors.
Finally at about the halfway point of the quarter, Hannah Hoosier broke the ice for RHS with a pair of foul shots. The Gladiators were then able to trim the lead to 17-9 by the end of the quarter.
An explosive 21-point second quarter then turned the game in Riverheads' favor. In the books, Hannah Grubb's four three-pointers, all in that one quarter, will appear to be the major difference. But equal credit has to go to the Gladiator defense, which stepped up its intensity and cut off the passing lanes, leading to a slew of Rappahannock turnovers. The Gladiators also attacked the offensive boards more aggressively as it appeared the entire second quarter took place at the Riverheads end of the gym.
As a result the home team took a 30-25 lead into the locker room and they never trailed again. However they could never completely break away as the Panthers hit just enough threes in the second half to stay within striking distance. Grubb never scored again from the field but the Gladiators turned to inside threat Berkeley Tyree to seal the deal. Those two ended up with 14 and 12 points respectively, with Dayton Moore adding 11 and Savannah Crawford 8 for a well-balanced attack.
While the Gladiators rest up for Wednesday's semi-final against the Lady Dukes, the number 1 seeded Riverheads boys will take the floor tomorrow night, hosting number 8 seed Franklin, as the teams will alternate playing nights the rest of the week.
But for the first half of the first quarter, it looked as if Riverheads' season would come to a screeching halt as Rapp came out smoking. They started off with a two, then a three, then a four-point play, and when they added yet another three, it was 12-0 with 5:48 still remaining in the first quarter. There was then a brief lull with no scoring before they added yet another three to leave the Big Red staring up at a shocking 15-0 deficit. Olivia Atkins, the coach's daughter, was doing most of the damage for the visitors.
Finally at about the halfway point of the quarter, Hannah Hoosier broke the ice for RHS with a pair of foul shots. The Gladiators were then able to trim the lead to 17-9 by the end of the quarter.
An explosive 21-point second quarter then turned the game in Riverheads' favor. In the books, Hannah Grubb's four three-pointers, all in that one quarter, will appear to be the major difference. But equal credit has to go to the Gladiator defense, which stepped up its intensity and cut off the passing lanes, leading to a slew of Rappahannock turnovers. The Gladiators also attacked the offensive boards more aggressively as it appeared the entire second quarter took place at the Riverheads end of the gym.
As a result the home team took a 30-25 lead into the locker room and they never trailed again. However they could never completely break away as the Panthers hit just enough threes in the second half to stay within striking distance. Grubb never scored again from the field but the Gladiators turned to inside threat Berkeley Tyree to seal the deal. Those two ended up with 14 and 12 points respectively, with Dayton Moore adding 11 and Savannah Crawford 8 for a well-balanced attack.
While the Gladiators rest up for Wednesday's semi-final against the Lady Dukes, the number 1 seeded Riverheads boys will take the floor tomorrow night, hosting number 8 seed Franklin, as the teams will alternate playing nights the rest of the week.
