The KVHS Blue Knights and the Rothesay Red Hawks faced off for the fifth time this season with Rothesay coming away with their fourth victory in the series, 72-67.
The host Blue Knights jumped out to a early 18-6 lead primarily on the strength of their defense. The Red Hawks responded by switching to a 1-3-1 zone defense which slowed down the KVHS attack and allowed them to finish the quarter with a mini 5-1 run, cutting the KV lead to 19-11 after 10 minutes.
The second quarter belonged to Rothesay as KVHS went ice cold from the foul line and from the floor. This allowed Rothesay was to take a double digit lead a 35-25 before the Blue Knights had a mini run of their own to close within eight at 38-30 by half time.
Both teams came out strong following the half time break. Rothesay landed the first punch with back-to-back drives that resulted in easy baskets and a 10 point lead. KVHS responded with several steals that they converted into paint points of their own to tie the game at 43-43 five minutes into the quarter.
The final five minutes of the quarter turned into a slug fest as each team attached the rim hard, and for the most part the refs let them play. Although Rothesay won the slug fest by four points, KVHS end up winning the quarter and was to cut the lead to 56-52 for the Red Hawks.
The fourth quarter was much like the last part of the 3rd with both teams attacking the paint, resulting in contested shots at the rim and tough finishes from offensive rebounds. With five minutes remaining, KVHS had climbed all the way back to tie the game at 59-59. Unfazed, Colin Tilley from Rothesay responded with a kick-out three pointer to restore the Red Hawks led which they would not relinquish again. Despite a flurry of KVHS scoring opportunities that rimed out in the final minutes Rothesay held on for the five point victory.
Leaders for KVHS were:
- Liam McKee with 17 points
- Adam Butler with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 5 steals
- Nick Hersey with 16 points and 10 rebounds
Leaders for RHS were:
- Titus Heron with 23 points
- River Lanz with 16 points
KVHS falls to 7-1 in league play, 14-6 overall. Rothesay improves to 7-1 in league play, however, KVHS owns the tiebreaker (+2) based on their 70-63 victory back on Nov 11.
Player of the Game
Sam Goodfellow, who started in place of injured senior James MacDougall, scored 13 points and pulled down 19 rebounds while playing over 37 minutes. That is the most rebounds in a single game this season for the Blue Knights.
What’s Next
KVHS will be hosting the 35th Annual Mariner Riverboat Classic this weekend. Games begin Thursday when KVHS host Leo Hayes. Girls at 6pm followed by the boys at 8pm. Full schedule, results and links to live stream is available at https://riverboatclassic.ca.