It was Senior Night for a squad with six players graduating. The Gymnasium was without a doubt the best combination of crowd and sound of any this season and our Cavaliers were facing the hottest team in the Three Rivers District in the Floyd County 🐃🐃🐃.
Yes, Radford will take the title at 9-1 compared to Floyd’s 8-2 but it was FCHS that just hung that lone Loss on the Bobcats. The perfect storm was awaiting Coach Barnes and his team.
CCHS has pretty much had its way against all of the Non-District opponents this season but inside the league the team has played a number of games right up to the end but carried a 3-6 mark in to the league finale. A sweep of Alleghany (both in OT) and a split with James River but as Paul Harvey liked to say – Here’s the Rest of the Story:
In those six defeats the widest margin has been 10 points. Twice with Radford, twice with Glenvar and once each with Floyd County and James River. No Knockouts of this team, actual or by TKO. But tonight was going to be the ultimate test by a wide margin. As I mentioned in the Live Blog before the game there was two things that CCHS had to due, one being avoiding what I call a Dumptrucking start and two, keep our front court out of foul trouble.
Not only did we avoid a poor start, we jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Check the first box 📦 in a big way. You cannot Win a game in the first four minutes but you certainly can lose on in that window.
The Cavaliers held FCHS at bay until they surrendered the lead at 30-29 mid-way in the second quarter. Seven players had scored already and the amazing part of the second quarter was we only made one two point field goal during the eight minutes. Ethan Richardson made two 3-pointers and Bryce Smoot, Mario Meza Campbell and Brayden Smoot all added one from long distance.
Down only 39-38 at the half, the Cavaliers would next have to survive a Haymaker from the home team. Floyd wrapped eight points around a Bryce Smoot 3-pointer and the lead was quickly at six points.
Campbell answered with a jumper and Elijah Cox followed up with a 3-pointer and just like that the deficit was just 47-46. Bryce would add a reverse lay-up that I think he made without ever seeing the hoop. Trading basket for basket, going toe to toe in front of a Student section that was feeling the moment.
Up to this point the Cav had taken care of the foul trouble remarkably well. But at the 1:31 mark in the third quarter Cox picked up his 3rd foul and sadly just 17 seconds after he picked up foul #4.
Floyd immediately started to attack the bucket and just like that the lead was in double figures. Bryce connected on a buzzer beating 3-pointer to have the third quarter end at 58-51.
Davis Reitzel picked up his 4th foul 20 seconds into the final quarter then his fifth and final one at 4:46. Down 62-53 with Reitzel out and Cox limited on defense it would’ve appeared to be over. But Campbell and Richardson converted drive to the baskets and once again it was 63-57. Sadly, Campbell was whistled for his fourth foul but Bryce made the unquestionable shot of the night 🌙..
Brayden has missed on a jumper and Bryce went up for the rebound and while hanging in the air managed to get off a floater that found the bottom of the net. Bryce, all 5’7 of him. tried to carry his team to victory against the most physical team on the schedule. The sophomore finished with 23 points, including six down the stretch as he tried to will the team to victory. Floyd would push it back to 10 but the never say die Cavaliers would cut it back to six points. The final score goes in the books 📚 As 76-68 loss but once again this team with a Motto of Let’s Play for 32 minutes did just that.
CCHS (68) – Bryce Smoot 23, Mario Meza Campbell 12, Elijah Cox 11, Brayden Smoot 10, Ethan Richardson 8, Davis Reitzel 2. Jabin Talley 2.
The team returns home to host Blacksburg on Monday and travels to Galax on Thursday to wrap up their regular season.
A.S.P.N on The Hill 