Both of the Boys Basketball 🏀 teams from Carroll County High School played complete games last night on the road at Alleghany, sweeping the Mountaineers in dramatic fashion.
Going back a couple of decades in the National Basketball Association the Utah Jazz were led by the Hall of Fame tandem of point guard John Stockton and power forward Karl Malone. An undersized floor leader and a post presence that was a mountain of a man played the game at a level that few duo’s rarely reach.
Last night Smoot played an outstanding floor game against AHS as he and his teammates faced a trapping 1-2-2 zone throughout the evening. The composure the 5’7 sophomore displayed for the bulk of the 36 minutes was worth the price of admission. The two plays that stood out the most set the tone early in the four minute Overtime.
Playing the pick and roll at such a level that the legendary Jazz coaches (Hayden and Sloan) would have been smiling, Smoot feathered perfect passes to a cutting 6’4 Cox that the Senior Big Man finished and the second one sent Cox back to the free throw line for an AND ONE. Smoot extended the OT lead by calmly sinking a pair of free throws to push the lead out to 70-64.
The remaining 32 seconds were non-stop as the home team continued to push the Cavaliers right up until the potential game tying 3-pointer missed the mark. For the second time in 6 days CCHS tied the AHS at the end of regulation and then won during the 4:00 minutes of Overtime.
Cox finished the night with 29 points after connecting on an Amazing 13 of 14 from the charity stripe. Davis Reitzel joined Cox in double figures with 14 points with four more Cavaliers netting at least 7 points. A balanced attack for sure as the Cavs swept the season series with AHS.
Last week it was Reitzel finishing off a perfectly designed play at the basket to force OT but the Cavs needed something different the second time around.
Smoot was fouled in the lane with 0:07.4 left in the contest and made his way to the free throw line. The story of those two tosses belongs to Smoot but they both found the bottom of the net.
Once the Cavs reached OT it was just classic inside out basketball after Ethan Richardson opened the scoring with a 3-pointer.
The Cavaliers are well coached by Anthony Barnes and his three assistant coaches. They listen well and play hard fundamental basketball that is simply fun to watch.
CCHS returns to action on Martin Luther King Jr Day when they travel over to Independence for two games with the Grayson County Blue Devils 😈.
There no guarantees that the Cavs duo will again play like Stockton and Malone but I can promise you that Mr. Barnes will coach them up and they will play hard.
CCHS – 75
Elijah 29, Davis Reitzel 14, Nathan Reed 9, Jabin Talley 8, Ethan Richardson 8, Bryce Smoot 7
A.S.P.N on The Hill 