It may be too early to crown them Shenandoah champions, but Wilson certainly looked the part tonight as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes of the game and never looked back on the way to an 82-50 win over the visiting Gladiators. Mason McWhorter led the attack but the Hornets are a very deep team and anybody that came off the bench tonight contributed big for Coach Hartman. If there is a weak link on that team, he did not show himself tonight.
The Hornets did exactly what I expected them to do.......they took full advantage of the fact that they were the well-rested team and that Riverheads had just played an emotional down-to-the-wire one point game with Stuarts Draft last night. So they came out with full court pressure and an intensity level that was designed to get RHS frustrated early and keep them that way. They also used their depth as they substituted frequently, sometimes bringing in a whole new five.
Riverheads did have its full roster tonight and they tried to make a game of it, but the game was played at such a frantic pace it made you tired just to sit and watch it. Gabe Miller made the first attempt to get the Big Red back in the game as he went on a personal seven-point spree to cut that early lead down to one. But Wilson never allowed RHS back in the game and steadily built the lead.
Making matters worse was the fact that the referees called this one EXTREMELY tight, to the point that each team had players in foul trouble by half time. Wilson eventually lost 6'9" Micah Adams to fouls and maybe one other guy, but unless I missed it, Riverheads did not have anyone foul out.
As mentioned, McWhorter had to be the game's high scorer, but beyond him the balance was amazing and I would not be surprised to learn that four or five other Hornets hit in the low double figures. Riverheads was led by Jaxon Duff with 17, most of which came in the fourth quarter. Joe George continued to impress with his hustle and strong inside game, finishing with 10 points tonight.
The JV game was played at a similar pace and style, and probably had even more fouls called. At times it looked like it would never end, but it finally did with a 46-36 Wilson win.
Meanwhile, down at RHS, the unbeaten Gladiator JVs annihilated Wilson 35-6 (and no they were not playing football) and in what must have been the best game of the night, the Wilson varsity girls won 52-47.
The RHS boys are now off until they host their tournament on the 29th and 30th, but the girls are nowhere near finished as they have games Friday, Saturday and Monday to close out the December part of their schedule. The final two of those are varsity only games, hosting Parry McCluer and Page County.
The other three boys games in the Shenandoah went as expected tonight with Alleghany, Fort Defiance, and Stuarts Draft all winning easily.
The Hornets did exactly what I expected them to do.......they took full advantage of the fact that they were the well-rested team and that Riverheads had just played an emotional down-to-the-wire one point game with Stuarts Draft last night. So they came out with full court pressure and an intensity level that was designed to get RHS frustrated early and keep them that way. They also used their depth as they substituted frequently, sometimes bringing in a whole new five.
Riverheads did have its full roster tonight and they tried to make a game of it, but the game was played at such a frantic pace it made you tired just to sit and watch it. Gabe Miller made the first attempt to get the Big Red back in the game as he went on a personal seven-point spree to cut that early lead down to one. But Wilson never allowed RHS back in the game and steadily built the lead.
Making matters worse was the fact that the referees called this one EXTREMELY tight, to the point that each team had players in foul trouble by half time. Wilson eventually lost 6'9" Micah Adams to fouls and maybe one other guy, but unless I missed it, Riverheads did not have anyone foul out.
As mentioned, McWhorter had to be the game's high scorer, but beyond him the balance was amazing and I would not be surprised to learn that four or five other Hornets hit in the low double figures. Riverheads was led by Jaxon Duff with 17, most of which came in the fourth quarter. Joe George continued to impress with his hustle and strong inside game, finishing with 10 points tonight.
The JV game was played at a similar pace and style, and probably had even more fouls called. At times it looked like it would never end, but it finally did with a 46-36 Wilson win.
Meanwhile, down at RHS, the unbeaten Gladiator JVs annihilated Wilson 35-6 (and no they were not playing football) and in what must have been the best game of the night, the Wilson varsity girls won 52-47.
The RHS boys are now off until they host their tournament on the 29th and 30th, but the girls are nowhere near finished as they have games Friday, Saturday and Monday to close out the December part of their schedule. The final two of those are varsity only games, hosting Parry McCluer and Page County.
The other three boys games in the Shenandoah went as expected tonight with Alleghany, Fort Defiance, and Stuarts Draft all winning easily.
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