Blues Defeat Bath, Fall To Narrows
Brutal. But Brilliant?
Certainly brutal could be the best way to describe portions of last Thursday’s high school basketball game between Pioneer District foes Parry McCluer and Bath County in Buena Vista, as the Blues overcame a dismal first half from both teams to defeat the Chargers 46-23.
After the win over Bath (5-11 overall, 3-4 district) in the first game in about two weeks for both teams due to the snow and extended freeze, PM head coach Adam Gilbert said, “I thought we made a good adjustment in the second half. We started hitting some shots, and the rest is history.”
With the victory, the Fighting Blues (6-12 overall, 3-5 district) avenged a 45-36 loss at Bath on Jan. 15.
Brilliance was hardly part of the equation on Saturday, as the Blues went on the road to make up a game that was postponed from earlier in the week and dropped a 54-14 decision to Narrows.
As for the brutal nature of Thursday’s game against Bath County, the Blues and Chargers combined for 52 turnovers, connected on just 26 percent of their field goal attempts and shot a lowly 4-of-16 from the free throw line. Bath held a 6-4 lead after the first quarter.
The Blues seemed to find something in the second period, however, opening the quarter with a 10-0 run. Caroline Watts began the spurt with a jumper from the baseline, and 3-pointers from Emory Slagle and Watts, the last coming at the 3:33 mark of the period, gave the Blues a 14-6 advantage. Bath’s Trinity Forbes closed the half with a steal and a layup to trim the PM lead to 14-10.
After intermission, it was all PM. The Blues shot a blistering 14-of-23 (60.9 percent) from the floor in the second half and forced the Chargers into 17 of their 31 turnovers, converting those miscues into 16 points.
“They were going between a 2-3 [zone] and a box-and-one, and we had a hard time picking that up,” Gilbert said of his team’s early struggles in this contest. “[In the second half], we were able to attack it a little better.”
“We extended our defense,” Gilbert continued. “I thought we did a good job rebounding and creating some turnovers.”
Bath cut the PM advantage to 14-12 when Addison Lockridge grabbed an offensive r ebound and scored, but the Blues responded with a 16-5 run to close the quarter and never looked back.
Watts hit a jumper in the lane to start the rally and scored seven of her team-high 12 points in the period. Consecutive baskets off turnovers from Jose Martinez and Kat Zizzi extended the PM lead to 20-12, and when Martinez took a backdoor pass from Zizzi for an easy layup, the Blues pushed their advantage to 30-17 with eight minutes to play.
In addition to her team-high 12 points, Watts dished out four assists. Martinez tallied seven points to go along with her 11 rebounds, while Emory Slagle drained a trio of three-pointers to finish with nine points. All but one member of the PM roster scored in the game.
“[Watts] got off to a rough start,” said Gilbert. “But shooters are going to shoot their way out of it. She started attacking the basket and stopped settling for threes. She played well offensively.”
Only three players tallied points for the Chargers. Forbes led the way with 11 points, while Lockridge finished with eight.
If there were any doubts about the outcome of the game, the Blues put those to rest early in the fourth quarter. Slagle drained back-to-back jumpers from beyond the arc in the first 1:30 of the period, and Patience Hill scored a pair of chip shots just moments later. Meanwhile, the PM defense held the Chargers scoreless for nearly three minutes of the final stanza as the Blues secured the win.
Narrows 54, PM 14
The Blues could not sustain that effort Saturday in Pearisburg, however. The league-leading Green Wave raced out to a 16-2 lead after the first quarter and held the Blues to just four points in the first half to solidify their spot atop the Pioneer District standings, improving to 12-5 overall and 7-0 against district foes.
“We were just out of it,” lamented Gilbert. “It was one of those days. We just couldn’t score. Narrows just flexed their muscle a little bit, and we didn’t have an answer.”
When PM and Narrows met on Jan. 13 in Buena Vista, the Green Wave cruised to a 66-23 win.
The Blues were scheduled to wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games this week, with important district tournament seeding up for grabs. PM was slated to take on Highland County on Monday before facing Craig County on Tuesday.
The Pioneer District tournament is slated to begin next Monday. For the Blues’ Pioneer District tournament schedule and updates, visit www.thenews-gazette. com.
ABOVE, PM head coach Adam Gilbert talks to his players during a timeout. AT RIGHT, Fighting Blue sophomore guard Patience Hill looks for a teammate to pass to while a Bath County player guards her. Hill scored six points. (Ronnie Coffey photos)
