CLINCHPORT, Va. – Eastside High School senior Derek Clark might have a new nickname.
Just call him the milestone man.
Clark battled his way to 18 points on Tuesday night as Eastside earned a 68-55 victory over Rye Cove in the first round of the Cumberland District boys basketball tournament.
It was the first postseason victory in history for the boys hoops program at Eastside, a school born this fall from the consolidation of Coeburn and St. Paul.
It was only fitting that Clark played the starring role on a historical night.
He’s the same guy who holds the distinction of scoring the first touchdown in the annals of the Spartans’ football program.
“That’s pretty neat,” Clark said. “We’ve worked all year to get to this point. We haven’t had the best season we wanted, but this is a new season for us and we’re going to try our best and finish off strong.”
Fifth-seeded Eastside (6-17) used a 14-0 run that bridged the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to take a commanding 34-20 lead. Rye Cove never recovered.
It was a far cry from the two regular-season games the teams had played, which were both tightly-contested.
“We ran the offense a little better tonight,” Clark said. “The first two games [Eastside played against Rye Cove] it was a little sloppy on both ends. … Tonight we executed pretty well and we got our shots to fall in the second half.”
It helped that Clark and Justin Trent (13 points) dominated in the paint.
“I’m tickled to death with the effort we got,” said Eastside coach Jeff Adkins. “Especially from the free throw line, and I thought we did a good job on the boards.”
Hunter McMahan (22 points) and Chase Rollins (16 points) combined for 38 of Rye Cove’s 55 points. Yet, the Eagles simply had no answer for Clark and Trent.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well at all tonight,” said Rye Cove coach Michael Paul Berry. “We got good looks, they just didn’t fall. I felt like we played hard and I thought Eastside played well. They knocked down some shots and the two kids inside, we couldn’t stop them tonight.
“[Clark] and [Trent], they played a good ballgame.”
Clark continued his offensive production as he’s had point totals of 17, 25, 20, 12 and 18 in recent games.
His latest outburst helped Eastside earn a spot in Friday’s district tournament semifinals.
“He’s gotten better,” Adkins said. “The whole team’s gotten better. If anyone would have seen us at the Virginia High tournament [in December] to now, it’s the difference between night and day. The kids have worked hard all year.”
thayes@bristolnews.com | Twitter:@Hayes_BHCSports | (276) 645-2570
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