The Shadow
HOT SPRINGS – In a game dominated by dismal shooting from behind the arc, Bath County used a strong showing defensively to top Craig County 64-31 Wednesday night.
The Charger defense forced 34 turnovers and held the Rockets to just 22 percent (13-60) from the floor, including two of 18 from 3-point range.
Bath County coach Dave Herscher was pleased to see his team get a Pioneer District win. “We’ll take the win. It’s tough to say a whole lot on a game that was so sloppy by both sides, but I feel like we played well on defense, especially in the fourth quarter.”
Bath did not waste any time putting pressure on Craig County. The Chargers bolted out to a quick 9-2 lead, sparked by four points from Colby Bosserman. Two Eric Gentry free throws at the 1:52 mark gave Bath an 11-6 lead, and the score remained the same heading into the second quarter.
The Chargers quickly widened the five point lead in the second period, going on a 16-2 run to begin the quarter. Bath’s advantage was stretched to 11 (19-8) on a Walker Ryder steal and lay-up with 4:50 left in the half. The spurt was continued with a Bosserman basket off a rebound to make the score 27-8 in favor of the hosts. The advantage stood at 17 heading into the locker room at halftime, with Bath ahead 29-12. Bosserman led the way for the Chargers with 10 points at the break.
Bath County picked back up where they left off to begin the second half, going on a 6-0 run to open the third quarter. The Rockets were not ready to concede just yet, however. After a Ryder basket with 6:03 left in the period, Craig County proceeded to go on a run of their own, scoring 12 of the next 14 points in the game. Coach Herscher called a timeout to settle his team and Bath still held a 39-27 lead at the end of three.
“We just need to stay more focused, even when we have a big lead like we did. That’s something we’ll work on in practice, staying focused every time we hit the floor,” Herscher said.
Herscher must have had quite an impact on his team, as the Chargers dominated every facet of the fourth quarter. Bath County scored the first 13 points of the final period, fueled by several baskets off turnovers. The Chargers outscored Craig County 25-4 in the final quarter, advancing to the 64-31 victory.
Senior Eric Gentry, who is just 36 points shy of 1,000 for his career, led the Chargers with 17 points on the night.
“It feels good to get out here and win a district game. We didn’t play all that well and we couldn’t hit shots early, so it’s good to know we can win even when we don’t bring our A-game,” Gentry said.
Bosserman and Ryder joined Gentry in double figures, with 16 and 10 points respectively. Ryan Newmarker had 12 rebounds to go with his six points in the game.
Dillon Fry added five points and Aaron Newmarker contributed four.
James McCulley, Drew Newmarker and Matthew Quantz finished off the scoring with two points apiece.
Ryan Birch was the lone player to reach double figures for Craig County with 10 points.
Barring a schedule change due to inclement weather, Bath County will return to the court tomorrow night with a trip to Highland County. Action will begin with the JV contest at 6 p.m.
