RC Boys Keep Up With Knights For Three Quarters
Despite battling one of the top teams in Region 3C for most of the game, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team came up short 56-38 against Turner Ashby on Friday afternoon in Lexington.
The Wildcats, who had suffered a 72-37 road loss to TA (10-1) on Dec. 22 in Bridgewater, gave the Knights all that they could handle through the first three quarters of the nondistrict rematch. RC would fall to 3-7 after a 70-48 loss at Parry McCluer on Saturday. (See separate story.)
TA jumped out to an 11-3 lead, but the Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run to take a 12-11 lead. At the end of the first quarter, Bradi Ziegler made a pair of free throws to put RC up 16-14.
The game remained close in the second quarter, but the Knights went up by six points in the final minute of the first half before RC’s Brayden Camden was fouled on a 3-point shot and made all three free throws to cut TA’s lead to 27-24 by halftime.
The Wildcats took back the lead in the third quarter, going up 33-30 on a basket by Ziegler and a pair of free throws, but TA’s Colton Jennings then made a 3-pointer to start a 7-0 run by the Knights. At the end of the quarter, TA led 39-34.
The Knights pulled away in the fourth quarter by hitting five 3-pointers and shutting down the Wildcats, outscoring RC 17-4. Ziegler led the Wildcats with 16 points, hitting two 3-pointers, and had a team-high four steals and two rebounds. Camden scored 10 points and pulled down four rebounds, while Christian Moore chipped in five points and five boards. Also contributing were Jaxon Johnson with four rebounds and two points, Avery McDaniel with three rebounds and a steal, and Fisher Newhall with three boards.
Anthony Perez paced TA with 16 points, while Harper Kauffman scored 15 points on five 3-pointers, Jayden Lacy added 10 points, and Jennings chipped in seven, all in the third quarter.
The Knights hit eight 3-pointers in the game, while the Wildcats made four. RC committed 22 turnovers, while the Knights had 14.
Reviewing the game, RC head coach Rob Winfield said, “That’s one of the good teams we’ve played. They’ve got a chance to win the region. We just haven’t managed to play four quarters yet. We played them pretty well for about three quarters, but to beat good teams, you’ve got to play a complete game. You’ve got to play as well as you’re capable of playing.”
“We just didn’t quite have that tonight,” added Winfield. “I think I could do a better job against the press break, trying to find the right guys, the right mix.. We’ve got to get back on defense.”
The Wildcats were scheduled to play at Wilson Memorial last night and will continue Shenandoah District action at home against Riverheads on Friday before playing at Fort Defiance on Tuesday, starting with junior varsity action at 6 p.m. on both nights.
