Those exhausted Gladiators that you have been hearing about for the last week apparently found a way to get about three weeks rest in less than 48 hours, because they gave an inspired effort tonight in a game that went right down to the wire. They scored almost as many points tonight as they had in their last two games combined and if Braeson Fulton's tying three-pointer had not rimmed out with about a minute and half left, the game might have had a different ending.
Three-point shooting was a major factor in this game for both teams and the other story was a series of momentum shifts, with the Wildcats being fortunate to get the last one and hold on for the win. With Riverheads having won the first meeting between the two by eight points, it is almost enough to make you want to see them play a rubber match on a neutral floor, but being in different divisions, that won't happen and they are finished with one another until next year. Hopefully this convenient rivalry (22 miles apart) will continue and who knows, maybe even expand into football, since the two have never played.
Riverheads took the early lead as an Elijah Dunlap corner three put them on the board just eight seconds into the contest. His teammates quickly joined in as RHS scored seven points in the first minute and by the 5:15 mark of the first quarter, all five Gladiator starters were on the board. The quarter ended with RHS on top 19-13, and when Fulton and Grant Painter opened the second period with baskets, the Big Red had its biggest lead at 23-13.
The lead however was short-lived as Rockbridge went on a 15-3 tear, finally taking its first lead at 28-26. The Wildcats went into the locker room leading 34-31.
If you had to pick one particular turning point, it would be the first few minutes of the third quarter. RHS turned it over on four of its first five possessions and in no time, the Cats expanded their lead to 13. At that point, a betting man would have said they were about to run away with it. But Fulton and Painter exploded for two triples each within about a two-minute span and the home team's seemingly-safe 52-39 lead was all of a sudden a ball game again at 54-51.
For the entire fourth quarter, each team threw up as many threes as they could manage. For Riverheads that was logical because it was their strength and their only hope for catching up. But you might have expected the Cats to play a more conservative game down the stretch instead of continuing to jack them up.
They hit "just enough" of them to hold off the Gladiators who trimmed the lead to just two at one point and as mentioned above, saw their last gasp fade away when Fulton's shot that would have tied it at 66 just would not stay down in the cylinder. The Cats were then able to salt it away at the foul line.
The Painter/Fulton duo had one of their best 1/2 punches of the season with 22 and 21 respectively, and Drew Bond had a nice game with 10. Sorry I don't know RCHS' personnel enough to hazard a guess as to their leader. Jallik Lynch maybe?
With Riverheads set to host Gap Saturday and finish the regular season at Page on Tuesday, I see this game as a confidence-booster, not only for those two games but for the post-season as well. Goodness knows the games will be more spaced out now and that is half the battle toward playing well.
The Rockbridge JVs won the opener 47-31, a far cry from the 30-point beatdown they put on the Junior Gmen the first time around in a game played in our "old gym." A goal that the Big Red JVs have hopefully set for themselves will be to beat the Bison on Saturday, which would give them at least one win this season over each of the other county schools.
Three-point shooting was a major factor in this game for both teams and the other story was a series of momentum shifts, with the Wildcats being fortunate to get the last one and hold on for the win. With Riverheads having won the first meeting between the two by eight points, it is almost enough to make you want to see them play a rubber match on a neutral floor, but being in different divisions, that won't happen and they are finished with one another until next year. Hopefully this convenient rivalry (22 miles apart) will continue and who knows, maybe even expand into football, since the two have never played.
Riverheads took the early lead as an Elijah Dunlap corner three put them on the board just eight seconds into the contest. His teammates quickly joined in as RHS scored seven points in the first minute and by the 5:15 mark of the first quarter, all five Gladiator starters were on the board. The quarter ended with RHS on top 19-13, and when Fulton and Grant Painter opened the second period with baskets, the Big Red had its biggest lead at 23-13.
The lead however was short-lived as Rockbridge went on a 15-3 tear, finally taking its first lead at 28-26. The Wildcats went into the locker room leading 34-31.
If you had to pick one particular turning point, it would be the first few minutes of the third quarter. RHS turned it over on four of its first five possessions and in no time, the Cats expanded their lead to 13. At that point, a betting man would have said they were about to run away with it. But Fulton and Painter exploded for two triples each within about a two-minute span and the home team's seemingly-safe 52-39 lead was all of a sudden a ball game again at 54-51.
For the entire fourth quarter, each team threw up as many threes as they could manage. For Riverheads that was logical because it was their strength and their only hope for catching up. But you might have expected the Cats to play a more conservative game down the stretch instead of continuing to jack them up.
They hit "just enough" of them to hold off the Gladiators who trimmed the lead to just two at one point and as mentioned above, saw their last gasp fade away when Fulton's shot that would have tied it at 66 just would not stay down in the cylinder. The Cats were then able to salt it away at the foul line.
The Painter/Fulton duo had one of their best 1/2 punches of the season with 22 and 21 respectively, and Drew Bond had a nice game with 10. Sorry I don't know RCHS' personnel enough to hazard a guess as to their leader. Jallik Lynch maybe?
With Riverheads set to host Gap Saturday and finish the regular season at Page on Tuesday, I see this game as a confidence-booster, not only for those two games but for the post-season as well. Goodness knows the games will be more spaced out now and that is half the battle toward playing well.
The Rockbridge JVs won the opener 47-31, a far cry from the 30-point beatdown they put on the Junior Gmen the first time around in a game played in our "old gym." A goal that the Big Red JVs have hopefully set for themselves will be to beat the Bison on Saturday, which would give them at least one win this season over each of the other county schools.
