sports@southwestimes.com
PULASKI – For the third straight day, middle school teams from around the area gathered at Pulaski Middle School for a chance to compete in the annual Preseason Invitational tournament on Wednesday.
Pulaski and Fort Chiswell opened up play in a tight early contest and would be tied at halftime. However, the Orioles would fall behind the Pioneers in the second half and drop their third game this week, 49-35.
Radford and Christiansburg played in the second and final game of the night. After the two teams battled for four quarters, it would be an overtime shot by Kyle Bishop in the waning moments that would give the Bobcats a tough 50-47 win.
Fort Chiswell would pull out to an early lead in the first game, thanks in part to post player Coleman Thomas. He would score three lay ups and knock down a free throw in the first quarter to lead the team with 7 points in the opening quarter of play. The Pioneers held an early 11-5 lead after one quarter.
The Orioles would thunder back in the second quarter with their fast break offense. However, Pulaski would lose a key offensive weapon when Tyler Blevins picked up his second foul with 5:06 to go in the second quarter.
Fort Chiswell’s lead would hold until a critical timeout by Coach Daniel Goff in the second. With the score 16-11 in favor of Fort Chiswell, Blevins would return to score three points, including a late basket, which tied the game at 16-16 heading into halftime.
Coming out of halftime, the Pioneer offense would explode with a barrage of points. Thomas would lead the way, as Fort Chiswell would score 18 points in the quarter. He scored six points in the quarter and 16 in the game to lead the Pioneers.
Despite being down 34-24 heading into the fourth quarter, the Orioles failed to give up and continued their pressure defense, forcing turnovers and many mistakes. Lonnie Mattox continued to score and teammate Logan Alley added to the cause.
In the end though, it wouldn’t be enough, as the strong third quarter by Fort Chiswell pushed them to the win, 49-35. Mattox lead the Orioles with 12 points. Blevins pitched in 11 and Alley added 6 points.
In the night cap, it was Radford going against Christiansburg in possibly the best game of the tournament. It was very defensive early on with both teams, as the scoring remained low. However, Christiansburg would gain the early edge with Tanner Cayton. He would score two early lay ups to give the Demons a 10-4 lead heading into the second.
Radford would use a strong press in the second after each of their scores to help pull back in the game. Anthony Miano and Isaiah Phillips would score two buckets each, tying the game at 14-14. Christiansburg would add two buckets at the end of the quarter, one by Cayton, to give them a 19-14 lead heading into halftime.
The Demons would extend their lead early with the help of Seth Wills, who had a couple of early baskets. Cayton would throw in a bucket, as Christiansburg pulled out to a 29-21 lead late in the quarter. However, Radford would fight back once again, scoring three of the quarters final four baskets to close to within three points, 31-28, at the end of the third.
In what continued to be a seesaw game between the two schools, Christiansburg broke open a big lead early in the fourth quarter. Wills had two jump shots for scores and the Demons were up 37-29.
Radford’s Phillips would guide his team back though, connecting on two three-point shots and hitting a free throw, which tied the game at 37-37. After Radford took a 39-37 lead, it would be free throws that would both aid and hinder the Demons.
Cayton would get to the foul line after four missed attempts at a lay up to tie up the game. He would sink both of his free throw attempts to tie the game at 39-39. After Radford failed in trying to take the lead, Christiansburg’s Wills would get to the line with a chance to potentially win the game. Unlike his teammate though, Wills would miss both of his attempts, sending the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Radford would score eight early points and Christiansburg had only four, as the Bobcats led 47-43 with under a minute remaining. The Demons would come back though and tie the game at 47-47, with a key bucket by Cayton.
However, that run would be in vain. With just three seconds remaining, Radford guard Kyle Bishop would scramble to find an open teammate and hurled a shot towards the basket. He would make the three-pointer, just as the buzzer sounded, giving Radford the incredible 50-47 win.
Phillips led Radford in the win with 16 points, while Anthony Miano added 11 points. On the Christiansburg side, both Tanner Cayton and Seth Wills had 16 points each for Fort Chiswell.
All four teams will play next on Saturday, as Pulaski Middle School hosts a day long tournament. Games start at 9 am, when Pulaski plays Radford. The night cap will feature the always intense rivalry between Pulaski and Dublin. Check out the Sports Briefs for a complete schedule.
(11-13-09)
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