Facing a talented, athletic opponent, the Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team suffered a 72-33 home loss to Stuart Hall at the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout on Friday night in Lexington.
It was the eighth consecutive loss for the Wildcats (1-15), as Stuart Hall (9-2) jumped out to a 10-0 lead, and RC never threatened to come back.
The Dragons hit four of their 10 3-pointers in the first quarter, taking a 24-7 lead by the end of the period. Stuart Hall slowed down a bit in the second quarter, but the visitors contained the Wildcats with their defensive press and led 35-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Wildcats picked up their offense, getting a 3-pointer each from Clay Irvine, Bradi Ziegler and Sam Ballstaedt for three of their four triples in the game. Stuart Hall also made three 3-pointers in the quarter, taking a 56-26 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Dragons maintained a comfortable lead for the rest of the game, allowing their reserves to play the final few minutes. Just before the final buzzer sounded, RC’s Brayden Camden hit a 3-pointer.
Luke Eversole led the Wildcats with eight points, Camden scored seven points, and Ballstaedt, who was named the Wildcats' Most Valuable Player, had six points. Also contributing were Ziegler with five points, Gardner Clement with four, and Clay Irvine with a 3-pointer.
Leading the Dragons was Latham Fields with 14 points, while Owen Laver scored 11 points, and Malachi Payne chipped in nine.
RC did a better job taking care of the ball than in recent games, committing 15 turnovers, while Stuart Hall had eight.
The Wildcats will return to Valley District action on Tuesday, starting with the junior varsity game at 5:30 p.m.
For the full stories on this week’s action, with photos from Friday’s game and comments from the RC coaches, please see our Jan. 29 newspaper.
