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Blues Come From Behind To Win District Showdown
The Parry McCluer High School boys basketball team remained unbeaten in Pioneer District action, improving to 7-0 with an 83-45 home win over Bath County on Tuesday of last week and a 77-69 road win over Narrows on Friday.
With the win over Narrows (12-7 overall, 5-2 district), the Fighting Blues (14-4) established a two-game lead over the Green Wave for first place in the Pioneer District. The other district loss for Narrows was a 69-58 setback on Jan. 31 at Eastern Montgomery.
On Friday, the Blues trailed the Green Wave for the first three quarters before outscoring Narrows 30-21 in the fourth quarter for a comeback victory.
PM’s Brayden Houck led all players with 23 points, while Langston Cook scored 20 points for the Blues. Also stepping up for PM were Jamier Jordan with 11 points and Nathan Glass with 10.
Carter Holmes paced Narrows with 21 points, while Sam McGlothlin scored 20 points, and Elijah Knoetze chipped in 14.
PM 83, BC 45
The Blues cruised to an 83-45 home win over Bath County on Tuesday of last week.
With the win, PM completed a sweep of the regular-season series with the Chargers (311, 1-6). When the teams met on Jan. 14 at Bath, PM won 71-43.
In the rematch, PM stormed to a 28-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Blues were clicking on all cylinders, with scoring from Cook, Jordan, Glass, Quentin Rosser and Peyton Montgomery. Jordan and Rosser each hit a 3-pointer in the quarter.
PM head coach Tyler Kerr emphasized the importance of having junior forward Nathan Glass back in the lineup. Glass returned to the court in late January after sitting out the first half of the season due to a knee injury suffered in late October of the football season. “It’s a huge factor for us,” said Kerr. “He’s a returning player with mega minutes. He played a lot even as a freshman, so he’s got that experience.” Kerr also stressed that having the entire team healthy is a contributing factor in recent wins.
The Blues extended their lead to 42-9 in the second quarter, with a 3-pointer each from Houck and Jordan. Parker Snider added a pair of free throws, and Rosser hit his second 3-pointer before the half ended. The Chargers would only manage to gain six points in the quarter, with PM taking a 49-15 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was much of the same for the Blues, who increased their lead to 62-15, helped by a 3-pointer from Houck. Luke Turner scored Bath’s first points of the quarter, Rosser made three more 3-pointers, and a free throw from Kyle Smals extended PM’s lead to 74-25 at the end of the quarter.
The Blues primarily played their reserves in the fourth quarter, with Sam Griffin hitting a 3-pointer and Brendan Holdren making a pair of free throws. Despite having their highest scoring quarter of the game with 18 points, the Chargers would never get close to making a comeback.
It was the Blues’ second consecutive game scoring over 80 points, following an 89-75 road win over Eastern Montgomery six days earlier. “The biggest thing is that we’re playing our best ball as the [district] tournament approaches,” said Kerr. “That starts with sharing the ball and finding the extra pass.”
Rosser led PM with 19 points, hitting five 3-pointers. Cook scored 14 points, and Jordan contributed 12 points.
Reviewing the win, Kerr said, “I was really proud of our defensive intensity. We got some deflections, a few steals, and that leads to points in transition. We never got complacent and that intensity was good for all four quarters.”
The Blues were slated to play host to Eastern Montgomery on Monday and are scheduled to have a rematch at home against Narrows tonight, Wednesday, at 7 p.m., following the 5:30 p.m. girls’ game between the two schools. PM will conclude the regular season at home against district rival Craig County on Thursday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m. Before the varsity game, the Blues will honor their three seniors: Montgomery, Brayden Holdren and Ellis Hill. For weather-related schedule updates, check www.thenewsgazette. com.
