Ahmad Fields scored a team-high 15 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Blue Ridge School basketball team overcame a sluggish start and a strong defensive effort by St. Anne’s-Belfield to win, 53-40, Wednesday evening.
The Saints, behind 14 early points from Justin Paton, fought tooth and nail with the visiting Barons early on, battling for rebounds and hustling on the defensive end of the court. Blue Ridge, feeling the effects of the previous night’s thrilling win over Miller School, struggled finding its rhythm early on and seemed to be running on tired legs. Neither team managed to take a sizeable lead in a first half of tug-of-war struggle that ended with the Barons leading 23-20.
“I give them a lot of credit, they play a tough schedule, so they’ve seen a lot of tough teams,” said Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey on St. Anne’s play in the first half. “We were sluggish, for sure, from last night. Our starters were pretty tired, so we tried to play a lot of guys.”
Blue Ridge forward Corbyn Jackson, who finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, opened the second half with a strong inside move to score two and set the stage for what would be a game-changing third quarter. The Barons shook off the fatigue and started to physically outmatch the home team, outscoring the Saints 18-6 in the third period. With pressure defense, power post play and a bigger presence on the boards, the Barons seemed to wear down the Saints. St. Anne’s struggled to hit shots and finish drives inside as Blue Ridge pulled away.
“I thought we played hard, and executed our game plan but they got their run there in the third and we got a little tired,” said Saints coach Brian Kent on his team’s effort. “They have a lot of speed, athleticism and a lot of length. When we miss a shot the way we did, they are going to get a lot of layups on the other end.”
Blue Ridge rested many of their starters in the final period and coasted to a double-digit win.
“Our starters came out in the second half and got us a good lead and then we got to rest them which is good, because those guys coming off the bench need minutes too,” said Ramsey. “We got a big weekend coming up!”
The Barons are back in action this weekend in the Presidential Hoop Fest. The Saints, who were led by Paton’s 18 points, host Woodberry Forest on Friday.
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