Surging forward: Strasburg ends skid with win

View larger image Central’s Sean Semones, left, and Strasburg’s Jalen Doman hustle after a loose ball during Thursday’s game in Strasburg. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Strasburg’s Tyler Hott of Strasburg drives the baseline in front of Central’s Hayden Bauserman during Thursday’s game. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Central's Hayden Bauserman blocks a shot attempt by Levi Dofermire of Strasburg during Thursday's game in Strasburg. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Eric Semones of Central prepares to shoot while defended by Levi Dofermire of Strasburg during Thursday's game. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Sean Semones of Central drives the baseline while guarded by Jalen Doman of Strasburg during Thursday's game. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Strasburg boys basketball coach Millson French tries to get his team's attention during Thursday's game against Central. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Brandon Ritter of Central tries to dribble between Jonathan Kloosterman (32) and Matthew Clutter (11) of Strasburg on Thursday. Dennis Grundman/Daily View larger image Central boys basketball coach Mickey Clinedinst gives his team instructions during a timeout against Strasburg on Thursday. Dennis Grundman/Daily

By Tommy Keeler Jr. - tkeeler@nvdaily.com

STRASBURG -- Jonathan Kloosterman did a chest bump with a teammate and had a smile on his face as wide as the Grand Canyon in the second quarter.

With the Rams clinging to a lead late in the quarter, the 6-foot-3 sophomore was feeling it on the court and Central didn't have an answer. Kloosterman's offensive explosion helped stretch Strasburg's lead and gave the Rams a 66-56 win over the Falcons in Bull Run District action Thursday.

"I was just hyped," Kloosterman said of his surge late in the second quarter. "It's a big rivalry and I was just pumped for the game, because we had so many people here."

Kloosterman missed his first six shots of the game, but when Central 6-foot-3 sophomore Kolton Poston picked up his second foul late in the first quarter, the Strasburg center knew he had an advantage inside.

Kloosterman scored the last five points of the half to key a 9-0 run and give Strasburg a 30-18 halftime lead.

"I started hitting shots," Kloosterman said. "I was doing really bad in the first quarter -- I couldn't hit anything. Then they just started falling for me.

"They didn't really have a big man except for Poston, and with him out I figured I'd post it up because none of the other ones are big."

Kloosterman continued his dominance to start the third quarter. He scored 12 consecutive points over a stretch bridging the second and third quarters, and helped give the Rams a 34-20 lead.

Central (4-11, 2-5 Bull Run) battled back as Travis Cooper, who finished with a game-high 28 points, helped the Falcons cut the lead to 36-28 with 3:08 left in the third quarter.

The two teams went back and forth throughout the rest of the quarter and into the fourth. Cooper almost single-handedly kept the Falcons alive as he scored 16 straight for his team during the third and fourth quarters.

Cooper converted a conventional three-point play to cut the Strasburg lead to 52-46 with a little over five minutes left.

"In the second half we got out of our zone and we back to man [defense]," Central coach Mickey Clinedinst said. "I think we were able to speed them up a little bit."

Strasburg (7-7, 3-4) has struggled in close games this season, but every time Central put together a rally the Rams responded. The Rams made 10 of 13 free throws over the next three minutes to put the game away.

Tyler Hott, who finished with a team-high 21 points, went 5-for-6 during the stretch.

"We kind of had a slump there in the third quarter and let them get back in the game," Hott said. "Then we finished the game tonight. We haven't finished a game yet all season -- tonight we finished it."

Despite the loss, Clinedinst was happy with how his team played.

"We played well. We played hard," Clinedinst said. "The turning point was the last two minutes of the first half. They extended that lead. We tried to get it back in the second half, but it was just too much to overcome."

Kloosterman finished with 18 points and Jalen Doman had 12 for the Rams.

Beating a county rival made the win even sweeter for the Rams, who snapped a three-game losing streak with the victory.

"It's always a big win when we get past Central," Kloosterman said. "We still have a couple steps to take to get better, but I feel great right now. In the district, I feel like we can do some damage this year."