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The Rockbridge County High School boys basketball team suffered two close losses last week, falling to Valley District rival Harrisonburg 75-66 last Tuesday before coming up short 67-60 against Salem last Wednesday.
Last Tuesday, despite a five-point halftime lead and a strong shooting night from beyond the arc – RC hit 13 3-pointers, compared to just three for Harrisonburg – the Wildcats (2-15, 2-6) couldn’t contain Harrisonburg (11-7 overall, 6-3 district) for the duration of the game.
RC led for most of the first half, fueled by the outside shooting of Sam Ballstaedt and Bradi Ziegler. Ballstaedt hit three 3-pointers in the first few minutes of the game, and Ziegler, a freshman, made two of his five 3-pointers in the first half.
RC took a 16-15 lead in the second quarter and led 37-32 at halftime, with Ballstaedt and Henry Lambert each scoring nine points in the opening two quarters. The Wildcats built a 10 -point lead early in the second half after Lambert hit two jump shots, but Harrisonburg came storming back, with Fausto Hernandez making two 3-pointers to help the Blue Streaks take a 49-48 lead. At the end of the third quarter, Ziegler hit a triple, and RC led 55-53.
In the fourth quarter, the Blue Streaks continued to battle and scored more when RC switched from man-to-man to zone defense, going up 6860. The Wildcats then got back-to-back 3-pointers from Noah Hamm and Ziegler to cut the visitors’ lead to 68-66. RC fouled to force Harrisonburg to make free throws, and the Blue Streaks converted to put the game away.
Ziegler and Hamm led the Wildcats with 15 points each, with Hamm sinking three 3-pointers, while Lambert added 14 points. Milo Mulitalo battled foul trouble to score 11 points, and Ballstaedt added nine points.
Salem 67, RC 60
In a back-and-forth battle, the Wildcats suffered a 67-60 home loss to Salem last Wednesday. Both teams shot well from beyond the arc in the rematch, hitting eight 3-pointers each.
Ballstaedt opened up the scoring for RC with the first of his five 3-pointers, but Salem responded with a pair of triples and took an 8-3 lead. The Spartans led 18-16 after the first quarter.
The second quarter had several ties and lead changes, and Salem went up by seven points before the Wildcats cut the lead to 34-32, with Zane Rowsey making a 3-pointer just before halftime.
The third quarter stayed tight, with Salem taking a 47-46 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Spartans opened up the final quarter with a 3-pointer from Grant Clemens. Ballstaedt responded with a triple, but Salem answered back, taking a six-point lead. The Wildcats would cut the lead to 63-60 on a triple from Ballstaedt with just over two minutes left, but the Wildcats didn’t score again, and the Spartans put the game away at the free throw line.
Mulitalo led RC with 16 points, Ballstaedt added 15 points. Lambert scored 13 points for RC, but, facing pressure after the break, he was held to just two points in the second half. Noah Hamm chipped in seven points, and Ramsey added five.
Both teams did a good job taking care of the ball. The Wildcats committed seven turnovers, and Salem had six.
The Wildcats were scheduled to play Spotswood last night and are slated to travel to East Rockingham tonight, Wednesday, before playing host to Turner Ashby for their final home game of the regular season on Friday. Before Friday’s varsity game, the Wildcats will honor their five seniors: Lambert, Mulitalo, Simon Emore, Ian Johnson and Jackson White. The Wildcats will conclude the regular season when they visit William Monroe on Tuesday. All three nights will start with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.
