In the opening game of the 12th annual Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team suffered a 72-36 home loss to Roanoke Catholic early Friday afternoon in Lexington.
In dealing the Wildcats (3-13) their 10th consecutive loss, Roanoke Catholic (9-6) raced to an 8-2 lead, but Bradi Ziegler hit a pair of 3-pointers to help the Wildcats cut it to 13-8 by the end of the first quarter. Ziegler, who scored all 14 of his team-high points in the first half, knocked down two more 3-pointers in the second quarter, but the Celtics forced several Rockbridge turnovers and scored well in transition to extend their lead to 36-16 by halftime.
The Celtics carried the momentum into the second half, going up by as many as 27 points and taking a 50-24 lead into the fourth quarter.
With the game out of reach, the Wildcats both got in reserves for the final few minutes. Two reserves that contributed for Rockbridge were Price Lunsford, who scored five points and helped the Wildcats with his rebounding, and Rowe Carter, a 5-foot-2-inch sophomore guard moving up from the junior varsity squad. Carter made all four of his free throw attempts for four points, much to the delight of the students and teachers who got out of class to watch the game.
Jayden Johnson led the Celtics with 16 points, hitting four 3-pointers, while Yajae Hairston scored 12 points, and Andrew Lewis Jr. chipped in 10.
After the game, Johnson and Hairston were named to the all-tournament team, as were Wildcats Ziegler and Lunsford. Also contributing for Rockbridge was Christian Moore with seven points on a pair of 3-pointers and a free throw, all in the second half. It was an off night for Rockbridge starting guard Brayden Camden, who was held to two points.
The Wildcats are scheduled to return to Shenandoah District play on Tuesday at Waynesboro, starting with the junior varsity game at 6 p.m. Check back here for weather-related schedule changes.
For the full stories and photos on games for Rock the Ribbon, an American Cancer Society fundraiser, please see our Feb. 4 newspaper. Coverage of action last Thursday and before will be in our Jan. 28 newspaper.
