Recommend This StoryFinal flourish: Eagles prevail in last game on home court
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By Jerry Holsworth - sports@nvdaily.com
BERRYVILLE -- It was a game that had everything Thursday night as Clarke County squared off against Strasburg in the opening round of the Bull Run District tournament.
For the Eagles, it was a chance for an almost certain berth in the Group A, Region B tournament, and a chance to close out 24 years of basketball on their home court.
Clarke County answered the bell on both counts, defeating the Rams 58-47.
The win sends fifth-seeded Clarke County to the next round of the district tournament, where they will play top-seeded George Mason. For Strasburg, it was a disappointing way to the end the season.
"I've been coaching in this gym for 18 years," Clarke County coach Brent Emmart said, "two years with the freshmen and 16 years with the varsity. There are a lot of memories in this gym and a lot of tradition, too. I told our players before the game that we're looking for two things tonight.
"First, we want to punch our ticket to the regionals, and also play for all of the players who have played in this gym over the last 24 years. Play this game in a way that will make all of those players proud."
The Eagles left no doubt early in the game that all of the emotion and momentum rested with them. Pushing ahead 7-2 in the first four minutes of play, Clarke County dominated the Rams on both ends of the court.
Alex Sefton scored all seven points for the Eagles, slipping open twice under the basket for layups, then hitting a 3-pointer.
Strasburg, after a slow start, made an effort to get back into the game, but eight first-quarter turnovers allowed them just six field goal opportunities and they were able to make just two of those.
"We got off to a fast start tonight," Emmart said. "That's been our downfall lately. We just let the other team get too far ahead early. That didn't happen tonight and that really helped us."
With Clarke County leading 14-5 after the first quarter, Ethan Emmart took over the Eagles' offense and lit up the scoreboard with three jumpers, two of them 3-pointers, to propel Clarke County to a 35-19 lead at halftime.
Emmart got a lot of help from Jared Ramey. The Eagles forward scored five second-period points, including a 3-pointer.
The Rams still weren't able to hold down their turnovers in the second quarter, committing five. That gave them only eight field goal opportunities, but this time they were able to connect on half of then.
What kept Strasburg in the game after two quarters was free-throw shooting. The Rams took advantage of seven second-period fouls by Clarke County to score on 6 of 8 free throws in the period.
Still trailing by 16 heading into the second half, a combination of the Eagles turning to a slow-down offense and poor shooting by Strasburg doomed the Rams.
"We lost this game on the offensive end," Rams coach Millson French said. "We really shot the ball poorly, but turnovers were also a big part of it. We missed a lot of easy shots. They just seemed to go around the rim and come out."
One bright spot for the Rams was that they were able to get their turnover problem under control in the second half. After committing 13 first-half turnovers, Strasburg reduced their number of giveaways to three in the second half.
They also hit 11 of 12 from the free-throw line, but their field goal shooting fell off badly. The Rams were 4 of 12 in the third quarter, and just 3 of 13 in the final period.
With Clarke County's slow-down offense minimizing possessions, their inability to score when they had the opportunity was the final blow that sank any chance of a Rams comeback.
"Until they get a shot clock in high school, we're going to slow the ball down like that every time we get a 15-point lead in the second half," Emmart said. "That way we can work for layups, and keep the ball away from their offense."
The Eagles also shot well from the line in the second half, hitting 10 of their 13 attempts, but they also seemed to catch Strasburg's turnover bug, too.
Clarke County's 12 second-half turnovers allowed the Rams to close to within 10 points with just 2:40 left in the game.
Forced to foul to get the ball back, Strasburg watched helplessly as David Hardesty and Connor Shendow hit 5 of 6 free throws over the final two minutes of play to seal the victory for the Eagles.
"We kept battling and battling to get back into the game, then we just couldn't knock down the baskets," French said. "We just didn't play well at all on the offensive end. I thought our defensive effort was pretty good, but we just couldn't buy a basket out there."
Emmart led the Eagles with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, but Ramey wasn't far behind with 11. Todd Benton and Hardesty both contributed eight points, but did it in different ways. Benton hit four field goals, and Hardesty scored six of his points from the line.
"Our shots were falling tonight," Emmart said. "Ramey hit some big shots for us, and so did Ethan [Emmart]. Everybody contributed offensively. It was a big win."
Aaron Doman led the Rams with 16 points, including two 3-pointers and a 6 of 7 performance from the line. Tyler Hott hit a pair of 3s as well and finished with 11 points.
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