Rich Hill vs. Jasper
The Rich Hill Tiger JV boys returned to action for the first time in over two weeks on Tuesday night against the Jasper Eagles. The cancellation of the Sherwood games for the JV and the Archie Tournament had put their playing time on hold, and they were anxious to get back on the court. In the early going the Tigers were a little rusty but were able to be competitive with the visitors and after one quarter, Rich Hill found themselves, trailing 9-10. The second quarter was not kind to the Tigers as their offense stalled and untimely turnovers led to easy buckets for the Eagles. In the end the Eagles were able to take the game 23-12 in the two quarter game. The loss dropped the JV Tiger boy’s record to 3-6
The Tigers scoring was led by Lucas Harwood with 6 points, Adrien King and Blake Laning added 3 points each.
In the Varsity Boys contest the Tigers came into the evening on a two game skid hoping that being home would help make a difference. The Tigers and the Eagles had already met earlier in the season in the WEMO Conference tournament in the opening round in December, with the Tigers victorious in that contest. The Tigers offense and defense seemed to be more balanced in the opening frame compared to the last two games which allowed Rich Hill to be more competitive early. The early foul trouble of the Jasper team sent the Tigers to free throw line giving Rich Hill an 11-10 advantage after one quarter. In the second quarter the Tigers applied defensive press causing several Eagle turnovers leading Rich Hill to expand their lead to a double digit lead just before the half. With just a few seconds remaining before the break a mental defensive lapse allow Jasper to drive the length of the court for an easy bucket and at half time the Tigers held a 29-20 lead over the Eagles. The start of the third quarter has been an Achilles heel for the Tigers during the year and a slow start again hurt Rich Hill. Cold shooting, turnovers and lack of rebounding saw the Tigers lead dwindle during the quarter as Jasper clawed their way back into the game and before the quarter end, take a two point lead over Rich Hill. The fourth quarter saw both teams trade early buckets not allowing each other to get much of advantage. Middle way through the quarter Jasper held a three point lead but the Tigers playing a much better all-around game were able to finally take a two point lead. With about three minutes left, the Tigers pushed the ball down the floor for what looked like a lay-up but at the last second the player saw his team mate in the left corner. With the dribblers assist the shooter buried a trey giving the Tigers a five point lead and some breathing room. Rich Hill with the lead never surrendered it with them making several trips to the foul line to seal their eighth victory of the season. With the win the Tigers record moved to 8-12 overall for the season and 2-2 in the WEMO conference.
The game was truly a team effort and for the evening the Tigers placed six players in the scoring column. Clifton Bridgewater 22 points, Sage Bolser 19, Brady Querry 12, Magal Chol 6, Daylen Walton 2 and Bryce Yohe 2. The Tigers were 25/40 from the line. Next action for the Tigers will be Friday night at home and a rematch of last weekend’s 3rd place game against the Archie Whirlwinds.