Wildcats Step Up Defensively, Trust Offense For 49-44 Win
With strong all-around play, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team earned its first win of the season, defeating Franklin County 49-44 on the second day of the Titan Basketball Invitational on Dec. 21 at Hidden Valley High School in Roanoke.
The Wildcats, who were coming off a 70-53 loss to Lord Botetourt in the first day of the invitational on Dec. 20, improved to 1-7 with the win.
“The guys really played well as a team defensively,” said RC head coach Rob Winfield. “They did a really good job of pressuring the basketball while not losing containment. We showed what we are capable of. We can get out there and make guards’ lives difficult.”
Winfield said his players also did a good job getting offensive rebounds and second-chance shots. “Every time, we were boxing out,” he said.
Franklin County, which fell to 2-5 with the loss, took a 15-13 lead at the end of the first quarter, but the game was tied 21-21 at halftime. The Eagles led 34-33 at the end of the third quarter, but the Wildcats finished strong, outscoring Franklin County 16-9 in the fourth quarter.
Offensively, the Wildcats showed improvement as the game progressed. “We trusted the offense,” said Winfield. “We took good shots.”
Noah Hamm led RC with 16 points, making four 3-pointers, while Bradi Ziegler scored 11 points, sinking three triples. Also contributing were Brayden Camden with six points, Sam Ballstaedt with five, and Luke Eversole with four.
Gage Coleman led Franklin County with 15 points, hitting three 3-pointers, but he was the Eagles’ only double-digit scorer. JT Lomax and Cayden Cole each scored six points for the Eagles, while Isaiah Carter and Kamarion Hancock each chipped in five points.
RC hit eight 3-pointers; Franklin County made four triples. The Wildcats shot 64.7 percent (11-of-17) from the free throw line and the Eagles shot 57.1 percent (8-of-14).
Winfield said it was “a good team win.”
LB 70, RC 53
On day one of the Titan Basketball Invitational, the Wildcats suffered a 70-53 loss to Lord Botetourt on Dec. 20 at Hidden Valley.
The Cavaliers, who fell to 3-5 with a 56-48 loss to Hidden Valley on Dec. 21, capitalized on RC’s slow start. LB led 24-8 after the first quarter and extended its lead to 43-23 by halftime.
“They were a little more physical than we were early,” said Winfield.
The Wildcats picked up their offense in the second half, with LB outscoring them 16-15 in the third quarter to take a 59-38 lead into the third quarter. RC outscored LB 14-9 in the fourth quarter, but the early deficit was too much to overcome.
Ziegler led the Wildcats with 15 points, making four 3-pointers, while Camden scored 13 points. Gardner Clement added eight points for RC, Hamm scored seven points, and Clay Irvine chipped in five.
LB’s Blake Lovern led all scorers with 17 points, while Braydon Whorley scored 13 points, and Carson Edwards added 10 points, with Whorley and Edwards each making two 3-pointers. Also contributing for LB were Brady Kish with eight points and Caleb Muterspaugh with six.
The Cavaliers made nine 3-pointers; the Wildcats hit seven triples. Both teams shot 66.7 percent (4-of-6) from the free throw line.
The Wildcats will start the new year with a Valley District home matchup on Friday against Harrisonburg, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m. RC will then play at Parry McCluer on Saturday, with the varsity game scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The day will start with the JV girls’ game at 1 p.m., followed by the JV boys’ game at 2:30 p.m. and the varsity girls’ game at 4 p.m. The Wildcats will return to district action when they play host to Rocktown next Tuesday, Jan. 7, starting with JV action at 5:30 p.m.
