This week’s Blue Devil basketball action included a showdown on Saturday between the host Gloucester Dukes and the visitors from Mathews—a varsity boys’ game that saw the Devils post a nail-biting and controversial finish.
The MHS boys also had a home game last Thursday against Carver and took to the road on Monday against Northumberland. Following those three matchups, the varsity Devils posted two wins and one loss, while their JV counterparts went 0-3.

Gloucester

The highlight was Saturday’s Gloucester-Mathews contest, and the boys’ varsity game didn’t disappoint, as the Devils squeaked by, 60-58.

Gloucester jumped to an early 7-0 lead, as the Dukes’ Jacob Ford found success attacking the basket, scoring five points to open the game. Although Gloucester started strong, the Blue Devils led at the end of the first quarter, 16-11. The second quarter started slow but Gloucester finally found a groove when Brayden Davidson hit a deep three to give the Dukes momentum. Ford regained his rhythm in the second, attacking the basket and scoring consistently. Mathews became flustered and coach Curt Williamson called a time-out which worked as Mathews returned to working the ball inside. Jordyn Cosby quickly scored six to give Mathews the lead. The Blue Devils kept the lead, but in the closing seconds of the half, Davidson hit a transition three to take a 31-29 lead over Mathews.

Mathews entered the second half with aggression as Tre Greene and Cosby worked a two-man game to dissect the Dukes’ defense. Greene attacked inside, bringing the defenders to him, opening up a pass to Cosby for an easy basket. Gloucester could only foul Mathews’ big man, sending him to the free throw line to give the visitors an edge midway through the third quarter. This lead didn’t last long as Gloucester pressured Greene, forcing him to give up the ball and ultimately, leading the Dukes to tie the game, 46-46, going into the final quarter.

Mathews had to find new ways to score with Gloucester pressing Greene full court, but Cosby made up for Greene, leading Mathews to regain the lead. The game remained back and forth with Mathews stretching the lead to six points with less than two minutes remaining. A costly turnover by Devil Blake Hunley allowed Gloucester to cut the lead to three. Finally, with seven seconds left, the Dukes’ Brad Bellinger hit a deep three to tie the game. Mathews got one final chance as Greene took the ball down the court and found Cam Matthews in the corner, who drove to the basket, getting tripped as he passed the ball to Julian Woodlen. Confusion filled the court as the players thought they heard the whistle, signaling a stop in play, but the game was not stopped as Woodlen made a three to take the lead as time expired.
The officials met at half court to discuss the play, ultimately counting the basket, but giving Gloucester the ball with five seconds left. Gloucester brought the ball down the court, but was fouled, sending the Dukes to the line. Ford made the first free throw, intentionally missed the second hoping to grab the rebound, but Cosby grabbed the ball, sealing the win for Mathews. Ford was the leading Gloucester scorer with 24, and Greene and Cosby would follow with 22 and 21 points, respectively.

In the JV boys’ game that preceded the varsity contest, the Dukes won, 48-38. Mathews took an early lead as Finn McKinster had seven points in the opening quarter. The second quarter was an offensive train wreck for the Blue Devils as they struggled against the press and turned the ball over countless times. Neither team scored for a majority of the quarter until Gloucester began to pile on the points. The Dukes made a flurry of three-pointers, taking the lead as they held Mathews to only two points in the second quarter. The half ended with Gloucester on top, 18-13. The Dukes would not give up the lead for the rest of the game as Landon Monroe led the Dukes in the second half with 14 points on the night. Monroe led Gloucester with 14 points, while Michael Wiatt led Mathews with 13.

Carver

The Blue Devils cruised to victory over the Carver Wolverines Thursday night in a district matchup, 63-36. The first quarter was the embodiment of defense creating offense as Carver was held to only four points while Mathews put 26 points on the board. Cosby and Greene scored 20 of the 26 points in the first with Colin Moore scoring the other six. Mathews would end the third quarter leading, 59-23, entering the final quarter. Mathews would struggle to score in the fourth quarter, but the lead was too large for Carver to overcome as Mathews won, led by Greene with 22 points and Cosby with 21.

The JV Blue Devils, meanwhile, fell to Carver, 25-17. McKinster led the MHS scorers with seven points, while sophomore Chase Ambrose scored four points.

Northumberland

On Monday, the MHS boys hit the road to face Northumberland. In the varsity matchup, the Indians completed their sweep of the Devils, 74-65, in a key regional matchup. Jumping out to a 6-0 lead, Northumberland would lead at the half by 10 points, 47-37.

The Blue Devils returned from halftime with a new fire to bring the game back to their hands. Greene entered attack mode, driving and drawing fouls to help close the lead. Cosby became a factor inside with seven points in the third quarter. The Devils’ defense held the high-scoring Indians to only 10 points in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 57-52. With two minutes remaining, Mathews took a narrow 60-59 lead. After Mathews took the lead, their offense disappeared as Northumberland came down the court to hit a three to retake control. The Indians would not give up the lead again as they fended off the Mathews comeback and won the game. Greene led Mathews with 26 points, followed by Cosby with 17.

The JV Devils, meanwhile, lost a hard-fought game to Northumberland, 40-34. Mathews held an early 12-7 lead, but the Indians outscored the Devils in the second quarter to take a 19-14 lead into halftime.
Ambrose had a strong, 20-point game to lead Mathews scorers.

Tonight, Thursday, Feb. 6, Mathews hosts King and Queen in a tripleheader, beginning with the JV boys at 5 o’clock, followed by the varsity girls at 6:30, with the nightcap at 7:30 featuring the two squads’ varsity boys’ teams.