The Mathews High School varsity boys’ basketball team picked up two victories this past week, including a 72-71 nailbiter Friday over the homestanding King and Queen Tigers. On Tuesday, the Devils picked up a key district win over the Charles City Panthers 65-43 in a key district game.

King and Queen

Friday’s boys’ JV and varsity games sandwiched a varsity girls’ matchup between King and Queen and Mathews. In the JV opener, Mathews defeated the Tigers, 38-21. The game started slowly for both teams with Mathews facing struggles from the three-point line. The Blue Devils were able to play amazing defense, preventing easy layups and contesting mid-range shots.

Brothers Desmond and Demond Darby gathered a majority of the team’s rebounds. Desmond Darby and Colin Moore led the team in scoring with 13 points each, followed by Julian Woodlen with five. Mathews was able to control the pace all game which allowed them to cruise to an easy victory.

The first quarter of the varsity ga...