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The Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team earned a a pair of close nondistrict wins in afternoon games last week, defearing James River 67-62 on the road last Tuesday before overcoming Salem 57-53 at home on Friday.
With the victories, the Wildcats (3-7) ended 2022 on a three-game winning streak, following an 0-7 start.
In defeating James River, which fell to 7-2, the Wildcats avenged a 62-43 home loss on Dec. 13.
In the rematch, RC jumped out to a 20-14 lead after the first quarter and led 34-27 at halftime. The Wildcats held a small lead throughout the second half, leading 48-41 after the third quarter before finishing off the Knights in the fourth quarter.
RC senior Brandon Mays led all scorers with a careerhigh 22 points, sinking three 3-pointers. “He’s been floating,” said RC head coach Rob Winfield of Mays. “He’s been playing really well.”
Winfield also praised his team’s defense. “Defensively, we were there,” he said. “We forced them to take tough shots, and it was a close game, so they also made shots.”
Sam Bell led JR with 21 points, while Ryan Steger scored 18 points, but Winfield said both Henry Lambert and Andreas Poindexter “did a good job” guarding Steger, who scored 20 points in the first game against RC.
Other than Mays, RC’s top scorers were freshman Matthew Burkhart with 13 points and Lambert and Lincoln Hundley with eight points each. Winfield was also pleased with the play of backup center Peyton Jay, who scored eight points. Praising Jay, who missed the first two games of the season due to an ankle injury, Winfield said he’s “starting to get healthier and really made an impact.”
Milo Mulitalo added five points for RC. Other than Bell and Steger, JR’s leading scores were George Toliver with nine points and Trey Taylor with eight points.
The Wildcats made seven 3-pointers, while JR sank six triples.
RC 57, SHS 53
In their final game of 2022, the Wildcats fended off a comeback from Salem to earn a 57-53 home win on Friday afternoon in Lexington.
The Spartans (6-6) went on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to tie the game 53-53, but Burkhart hit a turnaround jump shot with 42.8 seconds left to put the Wildcats ahead 55-53.
After Salem’s Marvin Fields missed a free throw, the Spartans fouled the Wildcats several times until they sent Lambert to the free throw line. Lambert made both of his free throws with 10 seconds left, and the Wildcats made one more defensive stop to secure the win.
“Matt made a huge shot, and Henry got to the line and converted,” said Winfield. “Sometimes, you’ve got to be in those situations.”
“You like to be in those situations and win,” added Winfield. “Unfortunately, earlier we were in those situations and lost. We’re starting to learn how to win.”
With the win, the Wildcats avenged a 63-61 road loss to Salem on Dec. 7. In the first showdown, the Wildcats nearly overcame a 10-point deficit.
In the rematch, the Wildcats jumped out to an 11-2 lead, with Burkhart scoring seven points during that stretch. Salem battled back to cut the lead to 15-11 by the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Spartans continued to trim the lead, and the Wildcats carried a 28-26 lead into halftime.
RC started the second half with a 6-0 run and gradually stretched its lead to 11 points, taking a 44-36 lead into the fourth quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats got a 3-pointer each from Burkhart, Mays and Lambert to extend their lead to 53-37. The Wildcats then went cold from the field, and Salem forced turnovers and converted from the field and three-point range to power their comeback before Burkhart came up with the big shot to end it.
Giving the Spartans credit for challenging the Wildcats at the end, Winfield said, “They shoot the three so well. … They’re well coached, and they’re young like we are.”
The Wildcats had a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures. Mulitalo led the way with 14 points and 10 rebounds, scoring 10 points in the first half, and had a block and steal. Burkhart and Lambert each scored 12 points, sinking two 3-pointers each. Mays chipped in 10 points, making two 3-pointers. Each team made six 3-pointers. Also scoring for the Wildcats were Hundley with five points and Poindexter with four.
Pleased with the balanced scoring, Winfield said, “It’s been a different guy leading us every night.”
Clayton Davidson led Salem with 11 points, Josiah Moyer added nine points, and Marvin Fields scored seven points. Chipping in five points each for the Spartans were Bryce Carver and Camden Boles.
RC committed 18 turnovers, while Salem had 10 turnovers.
The Wildcats will begin Valley District action when they play host to Harrisonburg on Friday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m. RC will then make the short trip to Buena Vista to take on county rival Parry McCluer on Saturday. Action will start with the JV girls’ game at 1 p.m., followed by the JV boys’ game at 2:30 p.m., the varsity girls’ game at 4 p.m., and the varsity boys’ game at 5:30 p.m. The RC boys will attempt to sweep the season series, following a 47-41 home win over PM on Dec. 22.
