PREP BASKETBALL: Grundy boys beat Twin Valley

BY LLOYD COMBS
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
PILGRIM’s KNOB, Va. – Grundy came into Monday’s non-district game at Twin Valley off a frustrating district loss on Saturday.

The Golden Wave got those frustrations out of their system with defense.

Grundy shut down the short-handed Panthers, 65-52, Monday night at Twin Valley High School.

Derek Hess scored 20 points and Ben Rife added 17 points for Grundy (5-4). Josh Smith scored 23 points, 19 in the second half for Twin Valley (8-4).

The Panthers played without its second-leading scorer and rebounder, 6-foot-5 senior Lucas Shortridge, who is out with a knee injury.

Grundy took advantage of the Panthers inside when Smith went to the Twin Valley bench with his second personal foul in the second quarter. The Wave
scored 16 unanswered points to take the lead for good.

Hess scored 14 first-half points, Rife scored nine in the second quarter and Jon Kelly added six in the period as the Golden Wave built a 26-12 advantage.
Grundy forced 11 first-half turnovers.

“We needed a win after Saturday’s game,” Grundy coach Greg Rife said. “The boys did a good job staying after it on defense. We got a good defensive effort out of them.”

Logan Boyd and Kelly each finished with nine points. Kelly hauled in 10 rebounds.

The Wave lead never dropped below seven points in the second half, thanks in part to Rife, who hit all four of his shots after the break. Rife had three assists off the wing or elbow area, and Boyd had four.

“We never could pull away, but at least we kept our lead,” Rife added. “Ben did a good job recognizing the open cutters and getting them the ball. Teams have to give him defensive attention, because he’s a good shooter.”

Smith scored 14 points in the third period. His three-point play got Twin Valley within 44-37 with 3:40 left to play in the third period. Grundy went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to extend its lead to 57-41.

Twin Valley 53, Grundy 32
The Twin Valley girls shut out Grundy in the fourth quarter of Monday’s varsity opener to break open what had been a close game for the first three periods.

Katie Jo Lester was unstoppable, inside and out, with four three-pointers and 27 points, and a game-high 18 rebounds for the Panthers. Twin Valley (9-3) opened up a 19-6 lead in the first half, and never trailed.

Grundy tied the score at 26-26 on a free throw by Krystal Cantrell in the opening minute of the second half, and trailed just 36-32 at the start of the fourth period.

“Katie Jo has a knack for going to the open spots,” Twin Valley coach Rick Goodman said. “We hit some easy shots, and Brandi Rose stepped up and hit some shots.
“As long as [Lester] plays good, we’ve got a chance, as long as we play defense. We knew we’re not fast enough to keep up with Grundy. They broke us down some, but not enough to kill us.”

Cantrell finished with 11 points and Savannah Charles scored 12 points for Grundy. Rose scored 12 points for the Panthers.