SPtMatBeoys Bound
Blues Earn Comeback Win In Region Semifinals
The Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team made an impressive run in the Region 1C tournament before falling to George Wythe 75-57 in the championship game on Saturday night at Northside High School in Roanoke.
The night before, the Fighting Blues (20-5) made an incredible comeback to earn a 60-55 win over Auburn in the regional semifinals, also at Northside. With Friday’s victory, the Blues clinched a berth in the Class 1 state tournament for the first time since they won their first state title in program history four years ago.
In the Class 1 state quarterfinals, the Blues were scheduled to take on Region 1D champion Patrick Henry-Glade Spring last night at Virginia High School in Bristol, with the winner advancing to the state semifinals on Friday. For a summary of last night’s game and state tournament updates, visit www.thenews-gazette. com, and see our March 12 newspaper for the full story and photos.
On Saturday, the Blues, the top seed from the Pioneer District, had a tall task in taking on Mountain Empire District champion George Wythe (23-4). Last year, GW ended PM’s season by defeating the Blues 77-70 in the Region 1C semifinals at Virginia Tech. GW then lost to Auburn 54-52 in the regional finals, with both teams advancing to the state tournament, where GW lost to Honaker 64-62 in the quarterfinals.
This time around, GW snapped PM’s ninegame winning streak, but the Blues are moving on to states, knowing they might get another crack at the Maroons.
Saturday’s game was close early on, with PM taking a 12-11 lead on a 3-pointer from Quentin Rosser at the end of the first quarter.
PM maintained a slight lead for most of the second quarter until star sophomore guard Langston Cook picked up his second foul. The Maroons ended the quarter on an 8-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Reed Kirtner, that gave GW a 31-27 lead just before halftime. It was a big night for Kirtner, as the senior forward led all scorers with 27 points, hitting two 3-pointers and breaking the school’s all-time scoring record.
The Maroons carried the momentum into the second half, scoring the first 12 points of the third quarter to build up a 43-27 lead A threepoint play by PM’s Nathan Glass finally ended GW’s 20-0 run.
“They’re a team that you have to survive their waves of runs,” said PM head coach Tyler Kerr of the Maroons. “They got to our legs a little bit. Defense took a step back, but I don’t think it’s as much effort as it was a little bit of fatigue. “
Kerr said playing back-to-back nights wore his team down a bit, but added, “At the same time, that’s tournament basketball. You play when they tell you to play. We have never been about excuses. We’ve never been about moral victories. Wythe had to do the same thing, too. That’s championship, that’s tournament basketball. You have quick turnarounds.”
GW, which had beaten Fort Chiswell 74-42 in the regional semifinals the night before, maintained a double-digit lead over the Blues until three minutes left in the third quarter, when Cook made a pair of free throws to cut GW’s lead to 45-37. Cook then made an inside shot to cut the deficit to six, but GW answered back with an inside basket and a pair of free throws to go back up by 10. At the end of the third quarter, GW led 51-41.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Maroons continued to make shots and defensive stops, building up a 63-43 lead. The Blues kept battling, but GW put the game away at the free throw line.
Of the Maroons, who are an experienced team with 10 seniors, Kerr said, “All the credit in the world goes to them.”
Glass led the Blues with 18 points, while Cook finished with 16 points and three fouls. Braedyn Houck scored 10 points for PM, and Rosser and Jamier Jordan each chipped in six.
Other than Kirtner, GW’s leaders were David Goode with 17 points, Shane Huff with 11, and Micah Braxton-Reddick with eight.
Looking forward to the state tournament, Kerr said, “The biggest thing tonight with our group is that we do get another chance to get in the gym on Monday, and you take care of business on Tuesday, and you get another crack at [GW].”
PM 60, Auburn 55
In the Region 1C semifinals, the Blues came back from a 31-20 halftime deficit to earn a 60-55 win over Auburn (16-10), last year’s Region 1C champion, on Friday night at Northside to clinch a berth in the state tournament.
Auburn, the second seed from the Mountain Empire District, led 44-34 after the third quarter, but the Blues outscored the Eagles 26-11 in the fourth quarter, going 9-of-10 from the free throw line in the period to pull out the win. For the game, the Blues shot 75 percent (15-of-20) from the free throw line, while Auburn shot 60 percent (6-of-10).
“It just shows the grit and the toughness of our group,” said Kerr. “We’ve got a ‘neverquit, never-die’ attitude… We’ve got a young group, but they’re resilient.”
PM and Auburn met once during the regular season, with the Blues earning a 63-54 road win on Dec. 13 in Riner, but their Jan. 10 game was canceled due to a winter storm that week.
Last Friday, Cook led all players with 20 points, while Houck scored 14 points, making three 3-pointers, and Glass added 10 points. Jordan contributed eight points, and Rosser chipped in seven.
Leading Auburn was Landen Marrs with 19 points, while Kobie Dalton added 11 points, Drew Royal scored nine points, and Zac Mc-Glothlin chipped in eight.
PM 71, GC 36
In the Region 1C basketball quarterfinals, the Blues coasted to a 71-36 home win over Grayson County on Tuesday of last week in Buena Vista.
PM used a balanced scoring effort and strong defense to take down the Blue Devils (6-18), the fourth seed from the Mountain Empire District.
Cook and Houck led PM with 19 points each, with Houck draining five 3-pointers and Cook going 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Cook also grabbed 12 rebounds and had seven assists and three steals, while Houck pulled down five boards. Jordan scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds and three steals for the Blues, sinking four treys, and Glass chipped in eight points and five boards.
The Blues got out to a fast start, taking a 16-5 lead after the first quarter. PM allowed just three points in the second quarter, taking a 36-8 lead into halftime.
PM continued to pull away in the third quarter, knocking down five 3-pointers, and took a 62-24 lead into the fourth quarter. With the large advantage, the Blues’ reserves played the final few minutes of the game.
“All of those guys, they just work so hard.,” said Kerr of his reserves. “We’ve been doing this since [early] November, and every single guy that’s in that locker room has worked their tail off, and they deserved a chance, and I’m glad everybody got a chance to get in and get a little playoff action.”
GC’s only double-digit scorer was Maverik Goad with 18 points, while Mac Goad added eight points, and Makray Goad chipped in five.
PM knocked down 10 3-pointers in the game, while GC hit three.
The Blues committed just four turnovers while forcing 12.
Proud of his team’s defense, Kerr said, “The last couple of weeks, we’ve really picked up the defensive effort and really stepped up. It’s a pride thing, and I thought, midway through our district schedule, we got lax on defense, and they’ve really bought into getting back to our defensive ways. If you have any aspirations to win a championship, you’ve got to play defense on the [half-court].”
On the offensive end, Kerr said the Blues have been “playing unselfishly. Good movement, good action. It’s difficult at times when you have a lot of scorers. Everybody’s wanting a little bit, a piece of it, but when we swing the ball and move it the way we have it, that ball finds a way to come back to you, and they’ve really bought into it. I couldn’t be prouder of my group of guys.”
