The Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team lost a pair of Shenandoah District home games last week, falling to Alleghany 63-53 last Tuesday before suffering an 81-43 loss to Staunton on Thursday.
In the game against Alleghany (11-3 overall, 7-1 district), the Wildcats (3-12, 1-8) overcame a slow start to make the game competitive.
“In the first half, we just didn’t come out ready,” said RC boys head coach Rob Winfield. “If you’re not ready, that starts at the top.”
The Cougars jumped out to a 26-10 lead by the end of the first quarter, sparked by good ball movement and a zone trap defense that forced several RC turnovers. The Wildcats ended the quarter by getting the crowd excited when sophomore forward Fisher Newhall made a halfcourt buzzer-beater.
“You catch him on the right night, and he is athletic and as talented as any kid in the conference,” said Winfield.
Alleghany continued to control the game into the second quarter with their ball pressure and shot making, ending the first half with a 40-25 lead. Alleghany’s Bubby Entsminger and Talyn Elliott led the way offensively in the first half for the Cougars, while Brayden Camden and Bradi Ziegler led the Wildcats with their shooting.
RC’s defensive effort improved in the second half. In the first six minutes of the third quarter, the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to cut the lead to 40-36.
“In the second half, we showed how we can play half-court defense, and I think that is one of our biggest strengths,” Winfield said. “When we came out, there was more effort, energy and communication. It was getting back to the stuff we do well.”
Alleghany head coach Seth Bradley then called a timeout, and the Cougars responded with a 9-0 run to push the lead back to double digits. Alleghany took a 51-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a defensive battle, as both sides struggled to make shots. Midway through the quarter, Alleghany controlled the ball off of offensive rebounds for several minutes during a single possession, which halted RC’s comeback effort.
Camden led RC with 19 points, including three treys, five rebounds and several steals. Ziegler also played well offensively with 16 points and four threes. Also pitching in was Newhall with seven points and six rebounds. Christian Moore had a well-rounded night with five points, three rebounds and three assists.
“We are working on Brayden, Bradi and Christian not only just scoring, but making plays for other guys,” said Winfield. “That’s the next step for them.”
Alleghany had four players score in double figures. Elliott led the way with 19 points, including three 3-pointers, while Entsminger scored 14 points. Desmond Jordan added 11 points, including three triples, Jalen Raether chipped in 10 points.
Winfield said the Wildcats are slowly building consistency, but still have work to do. “We’ve got to keep improving the things we are good at and start to make more strides offensively,” he said. “We’ve got to get some guys limited with experience some more reps. … We’ll get better.”
Staunton 81, RC 43
Staunton dominated the Wildcats from start to finish on Thursday, cruising to an 81-43 win.
The Storm (13-2, 7-2), who had beaten the Wildcats 65-37 on Dec. 18 in Staunton, raced to a 19-11 lead after the first quarter of the rematch and never let up, going into halftime with a 44-23 advantage. Staunton lit it up from beyond the arc, hitting 11 3-pointers, while the Wildcats had eight 3-pointers.
Unlike in the game against Alleghany, where the Wildcats played well for three quarters, Winfield said, “I’m not sure I could find the one quarter in here where we played well. We just didn’t guard it well.”
After the Storm built a 67-33 by the end of the third quarter, the teams played the entire fourth quarter with a running clock because the lead was 30 points or more.
Kayden Nulty led four Staunton players in double figures with 14 points, while Anthony Renne scored 13 points, Legend Reed added 12, and Aaysa Brown chipped in 10.
Ziegler paced the Wildcats, who were struggling with injuries, with 22 points, sinking six 3-pointers, while Christian Moore scored 14 points, and Brayden Camden chipped in five.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play host to Roanoke Catholic in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout on Friday afternoon and were slated to play a district game at Waynesboro last night. The Wildcats are scheduled to continue district action at home on Friday before playing at Buffalo Gap on Tuesday. Both nights will start with junior varsity action at 6 p.m. For game updates and weather-related schedule changes, visit www.thenews- gazette.com.
ABOVE, RC junior forward Jakob Bailey (2) leaps to try to beat Staunton’s Kijani Hines (24) to the ball. Watching nearby are Wildcats Jaxon Johnson (24), Brayden Camden (4) and Bradi Ziegler (5), who led the Wildcats with 22 points. AT UPPER RIGHT, Wildcats Christian Moore (left) and Avery McDaniel surround a Staunton player. AT RIGHT, RC junior guard Brayden Camden falls back while guarding a Staunton player as RC junior forward Brenden Staley guards Staunton’s Kijani Hines. Camden scored five points. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)
