The Bath County Chargers (9-14) fell short one win away from Region C tournament as the Craig County Rockets (5-16) eliminated the Chargers from the Pioneer District Tournament following a 69-55 win on Tuesday night.
After a quiet first quarter from both teams in which the score was tied at 6-6, the Chargers would finally take their first lead of the game 10 seconds into the second quarter at 8-6 following a layup by Jaden Ryder.
With two minutes remaining in the half and trailing 20-17, the Chargers went on a 10-0 scoring run to build a 27-20 lead. The Chargers would go into the second half with a 27-22 lead.
The game would change midway into the third quarter as the Rockets delivered scoring run of their own right back to the Chargers.
Trailing 32-29 with around four minutes left in the third quarter, the Rockets went on a 10-0 scoring run within a two minute span to take a 39-32 lead. Zachary Peters would cap off a 22-point third quarter for the Rockets as he drained a buzzer-beating three-pointer to put the Rockets ahead 44-34.
During the final four minutes of the third period, the Rockets outscored the Chargers 13-2.
In the fourth quarter, the Chargers would get within six points a few times and had several chance at cutting further into the deficit, but the Rockets held their ground and kept the game away from the Chargers as they would build on double digit leads as much as the Chargers would get within six points.
The Rockets thanks to a 47 point second half are not only advancing to the district tournament semifinals where they will play the number one seeded Narrows, they have also secured a spot in the regional tournament.
Free-throw shooting was a key for the Rockets to hold onto their lead in the fourth period as they knocked down 14-of-17.
Leading the way for the Rockets in scoring was Matthew Lucas who scored a team-high 24 points. Lucas was one of three in double figures scoring as Peters scored 15, while Hayden Reynolds added 14.
The Chargers were led by Ryder who scored a game-high 25 points, while Andrew Turner had 12.
The Chargers finished the season 9-14 overall.
Team 1 2 3 4 Ttl
BCHS 6 21 7 21 55
CCHS 6 16 22 25 69
Chargers Stats: Ryder 25, Turner 12, Landon Long 8, Isaac Gwin 4, Kamoy Stone 4, Greyson Walton 2
Rockets Stats: Lucas 24, Peters 15, Reynolds 14, Drew Duncan 8, Jaycob Wolfe 6, Talon Ritter 2
