In a back-and-forth battle, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team pulled away in the fourth quarter to earn a 60-52 home win over Eastern Montgomery on Thursday night in Lexington.
Eastern Montgomery (1-2) led 50-47 early in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats (2-0) then went on an 11-0 run, making shots and defensive stops, to put the game away in the final minutes.
Brayden Camden led the Wildcats with a career-high 22 points, while Bradi Ziegler scored 20 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. Also stepping up for RC was Avery McDaniel with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Kellan Stewart paced the Mustangs with 16 points, while Owen Clatterbuck added 14 points, but both players were much more effective in the first half. Cyrus Underwood and Marshall Tate each contributed 11 points.
The Wildcats got off to a strong start in their home opener, taking a 15-9 lead after the first quarter. EM gradually battled back to take a 26-25 lead late in the first half and went up 32-28 at halftime.
The Mustangs maintained a small lead for most of the third quarter until McDaniel hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 37 and Ziegler scored on a putback to give RC a 39-37 lead. EM was up 42-41 by the end of the quarter and stayed ahead until the Wildcats’ big run in the fourth quarter.
The Wildcats are scheduled to begin Shenandoah District action at home against Waynesboro on Friday, starting with the junior varsity game at 6 p.m., with the varsity game slated to follow at 7.
For the full story on this week’s action, with photos from Thursday’s game, please see our Dec. 17 newspaper.
