Late baskets by Pierson, Conner lead Lynchburg-Clay past Hillsboro
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — Lynchburg-Clay used a 30-point effort from senior Damin Pierson, along with important points from junior Ray Conner, to send the Mustangs past rival Hillsboro Saturday night by a 63-61 score.
In front of a solid crowd at Hillsboro for the Saturday night showdown, the game was tied at 58 late, following two points from HHS senior Mason Swayne with 57 seconds left in regulation. The tie was broken by Ray Conner of the Mustangs wth two points in the paint for a 60-58 advantage.
Following a jump ball that went the way of the Mustangs, LC senior Damin Pierson connected with a free throw with 18 seconds, but the Indians answered with two free throws by Hillsboro’s Brad Miller for a one-point deficit at 61-60.
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Pierson connected with two clutch free throws to increase the LC lead to three points, and that eventually sealed the win as HHS did have a free throw make by HHS senior Ethan Watson. Watson made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second one, with HHS gaining possession but missing the final shot while under heavy pressure.
Pierson played a strong game for the Mustangs, finishing with a game-high 30 points. Pierson made one two-point basket, but even more impressive were his seven 3-pointers. He was also strong from the free-throw line at 7-of-10.
“We had an excellent night shooting the basketball. I told them it was a total team win, but (Pierson) did a very excellent job of shooting the basketball and getting us into our offense,” LC head coach Matt Carson said. “We rely on him to do a lot, and credit to him for doing that and also for our guys for knocking the shots down when he gives it to them.
“I thought that we played pretty good defense most of the night, but I thought we played our best defense when we had to. We made some stops, a couple small things that are not going to show up in the stat sheet necessarily, like we pressed out of a timeout and got them to take a quick shot. We didn’t necessarily force as many turnovers as we’d like to at times, but I thought that we made plays.
“Also credit to Watson,” Carson continued. “For (Hillsboro), he made them go, and we were fortunate last year we held him down over at our place, but this year he showed up, which we knew he would. He’s a great player. It was just a battle back and forth all night.”
The LC senior, Pierson made at least one 3-pointer in every quarter, collecting six points in the first frame, nine points in the second, four points in the third and 11 points in the fourth frame.
Lynchburg-Clay (1-3) also had two more players finish in double figures with Noah Miller and Conner each scoring 11 points, while Alex Barber finished with nine points and Blake Marcelino wrapped up the scoring with two points.
“Ray did some dirty work for us last year,” Carson said. “There were things he didn’t have to do, inside scoring, because we had (Eric) McLaughlin last year. Ray’s really worked on his footwork and his post skills, and that’s really helped him, I feel like.
“Scoring-wise, (Ray) didn’t have one of the nights he’s normally been having for us, but he got some key rebounds when we needed it and got a couple of tough blocks there. I’m proud of him. They’re all getting better. That’s the thing sometimes. You can progress and get better, but you don’t necessarily see it on the win column. I was glad that their effort was rewarded tonight in the win column because we’ve been gradually getting better, and I’m glad to close one out (Saturday night).”
On the other side of the scoreboard, Watson finished with a strong game too, leading the Indians with 27 points. Watson scored five points in the first, four points in the second, eight points in the third and 10 points in the fourth quarter. For the game, Watson totaled nine two-point baskets, two 3-pointers and was 3-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Also in double figures for the Indians was Miller with 14 points, as he had six two-point baskets and was 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
“(Lynchburg-Clay) hit huge threes where we had taken the lead and bang, just like that, they’d regain it. That really hurt and put them on a 12-0 run that killed our momentum,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “We knew (Pierson) can really shoot the basketball. We knew he was one of those guys that we had to shade and a couple of those (3-pointers) he made from 25, 30 feet.
“There’s not a lot on the scouting report that’s going to stop that. We’ve got to do a better job of chasing him and not letting him hurt us, and I thought he really played a great game and made some really tough shots.”
The Mustangs and Indians had a strong battle to start the game in the first frame, eventually with the Mustangs leading by a 12-11 score, only to see the Indians take back the lead at 13-12 following a jumper by Luke Magulac. HHS added to their lead with a bucket from Swayne, and the final points of the first came from Pierson for a 15-13 lead for the Indians.
Hillsboro (2-3) led at halftime by a 30-29 score, but LC was the hot team to start the second, with a 3-pointer from Pierson and a bucket by Conner. Next was a 3-pointer off a shot by Barber to push the Mustangs ahead, 21-15, forcing the Tribe to call a timeout with 4:59 left in the quarter.
HHS responded with two points from Watson, only to be answered with a basket by Conner. The Indians came back with a 3-pointer from Ryan Scott, but Pierson was there with a 3-pointer for the Mustangs to push the LC lead back to six points at 26-20.
Hillsboro responded in a big way by outscoring the Mustangs 10-3 in the final 3:33 of the second quarter with a jumper from Scott, and two points off a basket by Miller. Scott finished the game with seven points.
Pierson broke up the quick run of points with a 3-pointer, only to see the Indians score the final six points of the second with a jumper by Magulac, two points from Scott and a basket by Miller for a 30-29 lead at halftime. Magulac ended the game with four points.
Noah Miller opened the third by putting the Mustangs ahead by a 31-30 score 17 seconds into the quarter. Following two HHS points by Scott, Miller added four points to the LC side, followed by a free throw from Pierson to put LC ahead, 36-32 with 3:45 left in the frame.
As the quarter continued, Pierson swished a 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the quarter for a 39-37 lead, but five points at the end of the third by Hillsboro’s Watson and Hunter Price left the Indians ahead 41-39, as Price finished the game with four points.
“We ask Hunter to do a lot as a freshman, and I thought he had some huge rebounds for us, especially in the fourth quarter,” Miles said. “He’s a big, strong kid for a freshman. He’s got a bright future. I was really happy with his contribution off the bench tonight.”
LCHS outscored the Indians, 24-20 in the fourth, with the score being tied at 41 and 58 points.
In the fourth for LCHS, Pierson scored 11 points, while Barber sank a 3-pointer and Miller had five points for LC, including a 3-pointer. Also for LC, Conner had five points in the fourth. LC was also clutch from the free-throw line at 8-of-10 in the final frame.
In Hillsboro’s 20-point fourth, the Indians had 10 points from Watson, followed by four points by Brad Miller and two points each by Gavin Temple, Scott and Price. Temple totaled three points in the loss.
“(Brad) did a really great job,” Miles said. “I kind of buried him (Friday) night on the bench, and that was my fault. He responded tonight and played excellent on both ends of the court all night. He finished extremely well, caught the basketball and finished. Brad Miller had great minutes, and I was impressed with his effort on both ends.”
The Indians finished 8-of-13 from the free-throw line, with three 3-pointers and 22 two-point baskets. LCHS was 10-of-14 in their free throw shooting, along with making 11 3-pointers and 10 two-point buckets.
Next for the Mustangs is an away game in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action as they’ll take on Peebles on Friday, Dec. 14 at PHS.
“It’s going to make me older quicker, but I expect exactly what I saw here tonight,” Carson said of facing Peebles next. “It’s going to be like this. It’s going to be a back-and-forth tilt. Coach (Josh) Arey and his staff are going to game plan and prepare and be ready for us.
“I feel like it’s going to be a chess match back and forth, and I hope we can shoot it as well down there as we did here. They’re young and scrappy. They go by a point guard named Browning, and he really makes them go. Any game in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference is going to be back and forth, and I don’t expect anything different.”
The Indians will play again Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Frontier Athletic Conference action as they will face the Jackson Ironmen at JHS.
“It doesn’t get any easier. Jackson’s an extremely tough basketball team. Going down there, that long bus ride, and they’re looking very physical. We know that going in,” Miles said. “They’ve got a couple transfer kids that are really, really impact players that they’ve got into their program.
“It’s going to be a tough task for us. We’ve got to regroup here and prepare for our second league game of the season, and we know it’s going to be a tall task for us.”
In front of a solid crowd at Hillsboro for the Saturday night showdown, the game was tied at 58 late, following two points from HHS senior Mason Swayne with 57 seconds left in regulation. The tie was broken by Ray Conner of the Mustangs wth two points in the paint for a 60-58 advantage.
Following a jump ball that went the way of the Mustangs, LC senior Damin Pierson connected with a free throw with 18 seconds, but the Indians answered with two free throws by Hillsboro’s Brad Miller for a one-point deficit at 61-60.
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Pierson connected with two clutch free throws to increase the LC lead to three points, and that eventually sealed the win as HHS did have a free throw make by HHS senior Ethan Watson. Watson made the first free throw, then intentionally missed the second one, with HHS gaining possession but missing the final shot while under heavy pressure.
Pierson played a strong game for the Mustangs, finishing with a game-high 30 points. Pierson made one two-point basket, but even more impressive were his seven 3-pointers. He was also strong from the free-throw line at 7-of-10.
“We had an excellent night shooting the basketball. I told them it was a total team win, but (Pierson) did a very excellent job of shooting the basketball and getting us into our offense,” LC head coach Matt Carson said. “We rely on him to do a lot, and credit to him for doing that and also for our guys for knocking the shots down when he gives it to them.
“I thought that we played pretty good defense most of the night, but I thought we played our best defense when we had to. We made some stops, a couple small things that are not going to show up in the stat sheet necessarily, like we pressed out of a timeout and got them to take a quick shot. We didn’t necessarily force as many turnovers as we’d like to at times, but I thought that we made plays.
“Also credit to Watson,” Carson continued. “For (Hillsboro), he made them go, and we were fortunate last year we held him down over at our place, but this year he showed up, which we knew he would. He’s a great player. It was just a battle back and forth all night.”
The LC senior, Pierson made at least one 3-pointer in every quarter, collecting six points in the first frame, nine points in the second, four points in the third and 11 points in the fourth frame.
Lynchburg-Clay (1-3) also had two more players finish in double figures with Noah Miller and Conner each scoring 11 points, while Alex Barber finished with nine points and Blake Marcelino wrapped up the scoring with two points.
“Ray did some dirty work for us last year,” Carson said. “There were things he didn’t have to do, inside scoring, because we had (Eric) McLaughlin last year. Ray’s really worked on his footwork and his post skills, and that’s really helped him, I feel like.
“Scoring-wise, (Ray) didn’t have one of the nights he’s normally been having for us, but he got some key rebounds when we needed it and got a couple of tough blocks there. I’m proud of him. They’re all getting better. That’s the thing sometimes. You can progress and get better, but you don’t necessarily see it on the win column. I was glad that their effort was rewarded tonight in the win column because we’ve been gradually getting better, and I’m glad to close one out (Saturday night).”
On the other side of the scoreboard, Watson finished with a strong game too, leading the Indians with 27 points. Watson scored five points in the first, four points in the second, eight points in the third and 10 points in the fourth quarter. For the game, Watson totaled nine two-point baskets, two 3-pointers and was 3-of-6 from the free-throw line.
Also in double figures for the Indians was Miller with 14 points, as he had six two-point baskets and was 2-of-2 from the free-throw line.
“(Lynchburg-Clay) hit huge threes where we had taken the lead and bang, just like that, they’d regain it. That really hurt and put them on a 12-0 run that killed our momentum,” Hillsboro head coach Bruce Miles said. “We knew (Pierson) can really shoot the basketball. We knew he was one of those guys that we had to shade and a couple of those (3-pointers) he made from 25, 30 feet.
“There’s not a lot on the scouting report that’s going to stop that. We’ve got to do a better job of chasing him and not letting him hurt us, and I thought he really played a great game and made some really tough shots.”
The Mustangs and Indians had a strong battle to start the game in the first frame, eventually with the Mustangs leading by a 12-11 score, only to see the Indians take back the lead at 13-12 following a jumper by Luke Magulac. HHS added to their lead with a bucket from Swayne, and the final points of the first came from Pierson for a 15-13 lead for the Indians.
Hillsboro (2-3) led at halftime by a 30-29 score, but LC was the hot team to start the second, with a 3-pointer from Pierson and a bucket by Conner. Next was a 3-pointer off a shot by Barber to push the Mustangs ahead, 21-15, forcing the Tribe to call a timeout with 4:59 left in the quarter.
HHS responded with two points from Watson, only to be answered with a basket by Conner. The Indians came back with a 3-pointer from Ryan Scott, but Pierson was there with a 3-pointer for the Mustangs to push the LC lead back to six points at 26-20.
Hillsboro responded in a big way by outscoring the Mustangs 10-3 in the final 3:33 of the second quarter with a jumper from Scott, and two points off a basket by Miller. Scott finished the game with seven points.
Pierson broke up the quick run of points with a 3-pointer, only to see the Indians score the final six points of the second with a jumper by Magulac, two points from Scott and a basket by Miller for a 30-29 lead at halftime. Magulac ended the game with four points.
Noah Miller opened the third by putting the Mustangs ahead by a 31-30 score 17 seconds into the quarter. Following two HHS points by Scott, Miller added four points to the LC side, followed by a free throw from Pierson to put LC ahead, 36-32 with 3:45 left in the frame.
As the quarter continued, Pierson swished a 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the quarter for a 39-37 lead, but five points at the end of the third by Hillsboro’s Watson and Hunter Price left the Indians ahead 41-39, as Price finished the game with four points.
“We ask Hunter to do a lot as a freshman, and I thought he had some huge rebounds for us, especially in the fourth quarter,” Miles said. “He’s a big, strong kid for a freshman. He’s got a bright future. I was really happy with his contribution off the bench tonight.”
LCHS outscored the Indians, 24-20 in the fourth, with the score being tied at 41 and 58 points.
In the fourth for LCHS, Pierson scored 11 points, while Barber sank a 3-pointer and Miller had five points for LC, including a 3-pointer. Also for LC, Conner had five points in the fourth. LC was also clutch from the free-throw line at 8-of-10 in the final frame.
In Hillsboro’s 20-point fourth, the Indians had 10 points from Watson, followed by four points by Brad Miller and two points each by Gavin Temple, Scott and Price. Temple totaled three points in the loss.
“(Brad) did a really great job,” Miles said. “I kind of buried him (Friday) night on the bench, and that was my fault. He responded tonight and played excellent on both ends of the court all night. He finished extremely well, caught the basketball and finished. Brad Miller had great minutes, and I was impressed with his effort on both ends.”
The Indians finished 8-of-13 from the free-throw line, with three 3-pointers and 22 two-point baskets. LCHS was 10-of-14 in their free throw shooting, along with making 11 3-pointers and 10 two-point buckets.
Next for the Mustangs is an away game in Southern Hills Athletic Conference action as they’ll take on Peebles on Friday, Dec. 14 at PHS.
“It’s going to make me older quicker, but I expect exactly what I saw here tonight,” Carson said of facing Peebles next. “It’s going to be like this. It’s going to be a back-and-forth tilt. Coach (Josh) Arey and his staff are going to game plan and prepare and be ready for us.
“I feel like it’s going to be a chess match back and forth, and I hope we can shoot it as well down there as we did here. They’re young and scrappy. They go by a point guard named Browning, and he really makes them go. Any game in the Southern Hills Athletic Conference is going to be back and forth, and I don’t expect anything different.”
The Indians will play again Tuesday, Dec. 11 in Frontier Athletic Conference action as they will face the Jackson Ironmen at JHS.
“It doesn’t get any easier. Jackson’s an extremely tough basketball team. Going down there, that long bus ride, and they’re looking very physical. We know that going in,” Miles said. “They’ve got a couple transfer kids that are really, really impact players that they’ve got into their program.
“It’s going to be a tough task for us. We’ve got to regroup here and prepare for our second league game of the season, and we know it’s going to be a tall task for us.”