Stuarts Draft pulls away in third quarter for boys basketball win: Friday sports roundup
STUARTS DRAFT — Leading by just three points in the second quarter, Stuarts Draft finished the half strong before pulling away in the third quarter for a 65-40 Shenandoah District boys basketball win over Buffalo Gap Friday night.
Following an Isaac Goff 3-pointer that got Gap to within 19-16, the Bison got a layup from Derrick Moore to start an 8-0 run to finish the half. Donovan Jenkins scored four of his team-high 14 points in the final 30 seconds to give Draft a 27-16 lead at the break.
The Cougars didn't lose the momentum to start the third quarter, outscoring the Bison 11-5. Harley Frame had a driving layup and a 3-pointer while Landon Graber had a pair of buckets in the paint during the stretch to put Draft in front 38-21. Gap never recovered.
"Toward the end of the first half our defense especially ... we just picked up the intensity defensively," said Stuarts Draft coach Brad DeWitt. "In the second half we did a really good job of mixing up our defenses."
Draft trapped out of the zone in the half court some, a defense the Cougars haven't done much this season, DeWitt said. They also used a man press that really caused Gap some problems. During that 19-5 run that spanned the second and third quarters, Draft forced 10 turnovers, scoring 13 points off the Gap miscues.
It was a balanced offensive effort for Draft with 11 players getting into the scoring column.
"I think we're developing even more depth," DeWitt said. "I feel comfortable with all the guys going in. That's one of our advantages that, on any night, it could be any player that goes off for 10 to 12 to 14."
Friday it was Jenkins who went off. DeWitt said the junior continues to build off a very good sophomore season, but the coach believes he can do even more.
"I think he's been too passive at times so far this year," Dewitt said. "Tonight we talked and we want him to be as aggressive as possible. I thought he did a really good job, especially in spurts tonight finishing around the basket."
Graber and Moore both finished with nine points for Stuarts Draft. Goff led Buffalo Gap with 15 points in the loss.
Stuarts Draft is now 8-3 with a big game at Staunton Tuesday.
Shenandoah District boys basketball
Fort Defiance topped the 100-point mark for the first time this year behind 22 points from both Gio Armendariz Cruz and Sam Garber. Fort beat Riverheads 108-82.
Riverheads jumped out to a 32-20 lead after the first quarter, getting 12 points from JP Crawford, but Fort rallied in the second quarter for a five-point lead and continued to stretch the lead throughout the second half.
In addition to Armendariz Cruz and Garber, three other Fort players finished in double figures in the win. Tripp Hanger had 14 points, Trey Miller finished with 13 and Jasigh Ransome had 12 points in the win.
Crawford led all scorers with 23 points for Riverheads while Jackson Brammer added 14 for the Gladiators. Riverheads dropped to 4-8 on the season.
Fort is now 4-6 and has won two in a row.
Wilson Memorial beat Waynesboro 72-46 to improve to 6-4 this season. Chase Snyder had 24 points and four rebounds, and Max Vess finished with 21 points and three rebounds for the Hornets.
Staunton fell to Broadway 65-58. Joaqin Bell led Staunton with 20 points while Durrell Hamilton finished with 14. Staunton is now 5-5 on the season.
Shenandoah District girls basketball
Wilson Memorial coach Jackie Bryan won her 250th career game Friday night as her Hornets beat Waynesboro 57-42. CC Robinson led Wilson with 18 points, while Sabrina Reeves finished with 14 and Elise Bradley had 10.
After leading by just a point heading to the second quarter, Wilson exploded for a 22-point second quarter to open up a 30-14 halftime lead. Both Aaliyah Taylor and Reeves had two 3-pointers each in the second quarter.
Wilson is now 5-5 on the season.
Kaitlyn Hull led Waynesboro with 12 points and Aaliyah Diggs finished with 10 in the loss.
Buffalo Gap rolled over Stuarts Draft 49-27 behind three players who scored in double figures. Hannah Coffman led the Bison with 13 points, seven rebounds and five steals. Gap's Chloe Emurian finished with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Kayleigh Hemp had 11 points, six rebounds and five steals in the win.
Hailey Cox led Stuarts Draft with eight points.
Fort Defiance beat Riverheads 53-36. After a 1-7 start, Fort is now on a three-game winning streak. Meanwhile, Broadway beat Staunton 54-19.
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Stuarts Draft pulls away for win over Buffalo Gap: Friday sports roundup
