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The Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team won a pair of Pioneer District home games last week, overcoming Highland County 52-46 last Tuesday before cruising to a 56-19 win over Eastern Montgomery on Friday. The Fighting Blues improved to 3-1 in the district before falling to 6-6 overall after their 59-52 home loss to Rockbridge County on Saturday.
Against Highland County, John Snider led the Blues, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds before fouling out with 2:19 left. Also stepping up for PM were Evan Cook with nine points and Braedyn Houck with nine points, six rebounds and four steals. Landon Catlett chipped in seven points. PM hit four 3-pointers while holding Highland to one.
The Blues started the game well, jumping out to a 16-4 lead after the first quarter. The Rams chipped into the lead in the second quarter, cutting it to 24-15 by halftime. In the third quarter, Highland made several defensive stops and hit shots and free throws, going on a 6-0 run to trim PM’s lead to 26-23. Snider then made an inside shot to stop the run and converted a pair of free throws, putting PM up by six. Highland continued to battle, and Phillips made a turnaround jump shot to tie the game at 33-33. Highland outscored PM 18-9 in the quarter.
PM went back up by four points after two inside shots from Snider early in the fourth quarter, and the momentum stayed with the Blues, who built up a 44-35 lead. Highland would cut it to seven with just over two minutes left. After Snider fouled out, Nathan Glass made a layup to extend PM’s lead to 48-39. The Rams chipped into the lead, cutting it to 51-46 on a 3-pointer from Michael Campbell in the closing seconds. Cook then made a free throw, and Glass rebounded the miss on the second free throw to seal the win.
On Friday, the Blues coasted to a 56-19 home win over Eastern Montgomery (1-10, 1-3). Leading PM to its fourth consecutive win was Snider, scoring 17 points, while Cook added 11 points.
