Hume vs Rich Hill

 

The games on last Monday night proved to be one of better basketball contest between the Rich Hill Tigers and their A Highway rivals the Hume Hornets. The last few years the Tigers have been holding the edge in victories but this year the Hornets were determined to take home the victory.

 

The evening started off with a Junior Varsity contest on the boy’s side with both teams, eager to get another game in the books. The game started off with both teams a little rusty from a lack of play but excited to play. The first quarter saw a close contest with both offenses having trouble scoring but defenses holding the early edge. At the end of the first quarter the young Tigers held a slight edge leading 6-5. In the second quarter the Tigers turned up their defensive pressure and were able to convert several steals into points and found themselves leading at half time 22-10. With minor adjustments for the Tigers at half time they were ready to start the second half with a solid defensive effort. In the third quarter the Junior Varsity Tigers pick up where they left off with strong defensive pressure and pushing the ball down the floor. The Tigers were able to hold their opponents to just one field goal in the third quarter and held the lead of 35-12.

The fourth frame would be very similar to the first quarter with both teams playing very evenly with each scoring 6 points but in the end the Tigers took the victory by a score of 41-18. With the victory the Jr. Tigers even their record to 1-1 with their next game being Friday night at home against the Lockwood Tigers.

The Tigers placed six players in the scorebook lead by Brayden Chandler with 15, Tyler Zuber 13, Daylen Walton 6, Daylan Black 3, Daniel Bridgewater and Blake Laning with 2 each. The Hornets were lead in scoring by Bradley Whitwork with 13.

 

After the varsity girls game, the Varsity boys took the floor for the final game of the evening. Rich Hill game into the contest with a record of 0-1 hoping to even their early season record. The Hume Hornets came into the evening with much different ideas and proved to be a very tough opponent. The first quarter the Hornets played a very strong defensive game which might have explained the cold shooting for the Tigers.  Neither team was able to get much breathing room and after the first quarter Hume lead the Tigers 11-9.  The second quarter almost proved to be a carbon copy of the first quarter with both teams struggling with foul trouble and scoring the exact amount they did in the earlier frame. The half time score was the Hume Hornets 22 the Rich Hill Tigers 18.

In the third quarter the Tigers offense finally came to life and with a little better defense the Tigers were finally able to pull just barely a head of the Hornets by the end of three with a score of 35-34. The Tiger were struggling with foul trouble all night but Coach Moles used his bench very efficiently, plugging in players in different situations to get the most out of the team. The final quarter saw both teams taking the lead just to have their opponents retake the lead the next trip down the court. With less than twenty seconds left in the game, the Hornets hit a key free throw to take a one-point lead. The Tigers had trouble turning over the ball and not being able to get a defensive rebound but in the end a jump ball gave the Tigers the possession they needed. The Hornets fouled the Tigers with 8 seconds sending them to the line for a one and one opportunity. Rich Hill was able to hit both ends of the free throws taking a one-point lead. Hume had one last chance to score but the Tiger defense tightened up and the final shot fail to fall and Rich Hill came away with a one-point win, 48-47. The win brought the Tigers record to 1-1 for the season with their next game coming on Tuesday night at Miami against the Eagles.

Scoring saw the Tigers placing 8 players in the scoring column. Leading the way with 24 points was Clifton Bridgewater, followed by Adrien King, Magal Chol-Case, Lucas Harwood, Bryce Yohe and Daylan Black all with 4 each, Daniel Bridgewater 3 and Blake Laning with 2. Hume was lead by Beriah Morrison with 13 and Bryson Morrison with 11