Eagles Outlast Statesmen for 73-69 Win
Article presented by Rathkamp Financial …
Celebrating Hoops and Heroes provided an action-packed game between Ross County Christian Academy and New Hope Christian Academy with the Eagles claiming a 73-69 victory.
RCCA’s Jayden Beverly and New Hope’s Nate Ames put on a scoring show. Beverly led the Eagles with 30-points and Ames tallied 31 for the Statesmen as their respective teams went toe-to-tow down to the final seconds.
“They (RCCA) came out and played with great energy, as we expected. I thought they shot the ball really well. I thought they attacked us well. They stayed in transition. Our whole hope the first half was just kinda stay in the 8-point range and not let it get to 10 so we could settle down and execute in the second half” said Statesmen Head Coach Shane Roese. “We had our chances, but tonight was their night.”
The Eagles held a 35-27 lead at the break, but New Hope came out in a flash and forced a 40-40 tie on a shot by Uriah Woodworth, then put the Statesmen ahead 41-40 completing a three-point play. The lead was short lived… lasting about two-seconds as Beverly nailed a three-pointer to lift RCCA ahead 43-41. New Hope’s Case Bruning dropped in a trey for another lead change. By the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were up 54-48.
The fourth period was nearly identical, only Beverly and Ames became the “go-to’s”. Jayden scored 15 of his 30-points in the final 8-minutes, including the free throws to seal the win with .9 seconds remaining. Ames continued to lead the charge for the Statesmen with 11 of his 31 in the final frame.
“We always know it’s gonna be a dog fight when we play them (New Hope)” said Beverly after the game. “They’ got a great coach and great players and they’re just overall great guys… It’s just a great blessing to play them either way.”
Matt Jude credited his team’s resiliency for their ability to close out the win. “I think back to the third quarter of this game specifically” said Jude “I could just feel the tide turning and New Hope started to pick up the momentum and took the lead … but I think it goes back to, we’ve been battle tested all season long.”
About the photo: RCCA’s Nathaniel Clevenger shoots over New Hope’s Gavin Ludens en route to a career scoring mark. Photo by Aaron Glandon/Litter Media
A highlight of the night came Nathaniel Clevenger crossed the 1,000-point mark in the first period after the Eagles had taken an 8-5 lead. The senior guard was fouled on a layup and completed the play at 999. A possession later, he was fouled again. After missing the first, he got the second and crossed the 1,000-point milestone. Clevenger ended up with a double-double on the night with 15-points and nearly as many rebounds.
Other scorers on the night for RCCA included Isaac Kellough had 16-points, Reid Elliott had 6, with Caleb Dorrance, Isaac Peecher and Squire Russell contributing a bucket apiece.
New Hope’s Seth Leist had 12-points, Woodworth scored 9, Jayden Stupki added 7, Judson Pollock 5, Bruning 3 and Gavin Ludens 2. The Statesmen are off for the next 10 days until the Ohio Christian School Athletic Association tournament. The Statesmen are the 4th seed and await the winner of Adams Christian and Dominion Christian. Play opens this Thursday.
RCCA is seeded 3rd and will face the winner of Saturday’s Milford-Scioto contest. Meanwhile, the Eagles have a bout with Wellston this Thursday and a makeup game with the Huntsmen at Huntington Saturday.
Click the links below to hear the game podcast and the post-game interviews featuring RCCA’s Nathaniel Clevenger, Jayden Beverly and Head Coach Matt Jude with New Hope’s Shane Roese.
CLICK HERE to see the Litter Media Facebook Photo Album shot by Aaron Glandon
CLICK HERE to see the OCSAA Tournament Bracket
