Buchanan – Isaiah Easter led a balanced Carroll County (20-1, 9-1 Three Rivers District) attack with 18 points as the Cavaliers secured a tie for the league title with a convincing 70-43 over James River.

Both Floyd County and Glenvar were eliminated from the chase with the latest CCHS victory, leaving just Alleghany as the lone team capable of catching Head Coach Anthony Barnes and his team.

” We are peaking at the right time, we are close to achieving our first set goal of District Championship back to back, ” said Barnes. ”  Huge for the program the school and our community.  Proud our our guys coming in off the bench engaged.Trace( Reavis) knocking down some nice 3’s with( Isaiah) Leagans and (Landon) Philips getting in the box score. “

Last time the teams met, Carroll County teamed up to go on a 10-0 run during the second quarter in which all five starters scored a basket 🧺. Fast forward to this time around the Cavaliers created another Team moment, early in the second quarter. Brayden Smoot (14 points) connected on a 3-pointer that made the score 24-9 and with 6:40 remaining in the second quarter, Smoot became the fifth and final starter to connect from behind the arc.

The shooting from deep did not end with the starters as Reavis (twice) and Kyle Bunn (3 points) raised the number of players to seven that connected from deep.

Carroll County lead 44-13 at the break, leaving Barnes with plenty of opportunity for each member of his 12 team roster. The starters were limited in the second half as one or two remained in the contest with the reserves. Reavis returned from a one game absence due to an injury and the Junior looked comfortable in his time on the court.

Floyd County and Alleghany are set to meet Friday night with a Buffaloes victory putting the Cavaliers over the top in their pursuit of a second consecutive league title.

If Alleghany stays alive with a victory then the Cougars will come to The Hill on Tuesday night for the home finale.

Back to James River, Ethan Richardson scored 12 points, including eight during the game deciding first quarter. Bryce Smoot finished up with eight points and Cody Reece added five. Each starter spent about half the game in action and the other half cheering on their teammates.

” Thought tonight we really played some TEAM ball, ” added Barnes. “We passed up shots to get a better shot and it showed.  Brayden Smoot had a phenomenal game on both ends of the floor, lately in practice he has been on fire and he has worked his tail off this past summer and in practices to reap the benefits of it.”

Twelve players played, nine scored and seven hit from deep in a contest that helped shake off the effects of not playing once again due to the weather. As Barnes mentioned, the team is peaking at the right time.

Head Coach Jason Stockner led his team to their own version of a season sweep over the Knights. Colton Gravley (13 points) and Blake Reed (12 points) led the offense and every Cavalier contributed on the defensive end during a 59-31 victory. The defensive effort was highlighted by a 16-0 third quarter.

Both teams return to action 🎬 at home on Tuesday night vs Alleghany and wrap up the regular season at Radford on Thursday.