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The Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team concluded the regular season with a pair of Pioneer District wins, cruising to a 68-42 home victory over Bath County on Tuesday of last week before earning a 67-63 road win over Covington.
The Fighting Blues (14-8 overall, 10-2 district) completed sweeps of the regular-season series with both teams and secured the second seed in this week’s Pioneer District tournament. PM was scheduled to take on seventh-seeded Eastern Montgomery in the district quarterfinals at James River High School in Buchanan on Monday night. (See separate story.)
Before the game against Bath, the Blues honored their two seniors, Isaac Griffin and John Snider.
The Blues got off to a fast start, scoring the first 17 points of the game. Braedyn Houck made two free throws and Landon Catlett stole the ball and scored. The Blues extended their lead to 26-4 early in the second quarter. Houck made a 3-pointer just before halftime to give PM a 37-14 advantage.
In the first minute of the second half, Catlett hit a 3-pointer. Nathan Glass made a 3-pointer for the Blues in the final seconds of the quarter, followed by a shot by Garrett Burton, to make it a 55-23 game heading into the fourth quarter.
The Chargers scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter before a Houck basket halted the rally. Although the Chargers scored 19 points in the final quarter, they never threatened a comeback. Burton hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to keep the crowd excited.
Burton and Evan led the Blues with 13 points each, while Snider scored 11 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
“We played really well in transition as always. Something else we did really great tonight was share the ball, and that’s evident in our top scorers,” said PM head coach Tyler Kerr.
Bath concluded the regular season at 9-13 overall and 4-8 in the district, entering the district tournament as the fifth seed.
Kerr praised the Chargers for their recent success, citing a turnaround in their program. “Bath County won more games this year than they have in a while,” he said. “They have a young group, and they could be on the rise. In [Class 1] athletics, your talent pools come in spurts, and they could be finding theirs.”
PM 67, CHS 63
The Blues captured a 67-63 road win over Covington to close out the regular season on a four-game winning streak on Thursday.
Covington (11-8, 9-3), the third seed in the district tournament, was playing its final regular-season home game in program history because the school will be consolidating with Alleghany High School next year.
When the two teams met on Jan. 24 at PM, the Blues won 67-56. In the rematch, the first half was a high-scoring affair, with both teams keeping it an up-tempo game. Catlett hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Blues a 21-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Blues had a four-point lead at halftime and led 50-49 at the end of the third quarter. The Blues battled their way to the win in the fourth quarter.
Kerr said Snider played a major role in the win. “That was the most aggressive I had seen him play all year,” the coach observed. “It was just a senior going after home-court advantage for the district tournament.”
Snider led the Blues with 23 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, and the win clinched homecourt advantage for the Blues until the district finals. Cook and Catlett added 19 points each, and Catlett snared five rebounds.
Reviewing the game, Kerr said, “It was the same story for us. We played well in transition and found our baskets. Covington came out extremely hot, probably shooting 70 percent or more from the three point line, but we weathered the storm and played our game.”
“I couldn’t be more proud or happy with the group of guys I was able to have in my first year as head coach,” added Kerr.
