Unable to erase a 17-point halftime deficit, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team suffered a 54-44 home loss to Waynesboro in the Shenandoah District opener on Friday night in Lexington.
Waynesboro (1-1) got off to a strong start, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter and taking a 21-14 lead. From late in the first quarter to almost the end of the first half, the Wildcats went cold, and the Little Giants went on a 19-0 run to stretch a 16-14 lead to a 33-14 advantage. RC’s Bradi Ziegler finally ended the run with an inside basket just before halftime to cut the deficit to 33-16.
The Wildcats got their offense going in the third quarter, as Brayden Camden made back-to-back 3-pointers, and RC got an inside basket from Jaxon Johnson and a pair of free throws from Ziegler to cut Waynesboro’s lead to 35-26. The Giants answered back, though, taking a 43-32 lead into the fourth quarter.
RC gradually trimmed Waynesboro’s lead, cutting it to 47-42 on a 3-pointer from Ziegler midway through the fourth quarter. The game would get no closer, though, as the Giants then went on an 11-0 run, with the Wildcats missing five consecutive free throws. Waynesboro converted from the free throw line and maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Ziegler led the Wildcats with 19 points, sinking five 3-pointers. Camden scored 16 points, making three triples, but the Wildcats’ third scorer was Johnson with four points, while Fisher Newhall chipped in three.
Deonta Brown paced the Giants with 22 points, while Isaiah Goldsmith added 11 points, sinking three 3-pointers, and LaMari Nowell chipped in nine points.
The Wildcats will continue district action at Stuarts Draft on Tuesday, starting with the junior varsity game at 6 p.m., with the varsity game scheduled to follow at 7:30.
For the full story and photos from this week’s action, please see our Dec. 17 newspaper.
