The Mathews Blue Devils boys’ JV and varsity basketball teams both had a slow start back from a two-week Christmas break. The Blue Devils struggled in their return to the court, with the squads falling to Rappahannock and Lancaster.
On Tuesday, the MHS teams redeemed themselves with victories on the road over King and Queen.
Rappahannock
Mathews hosted the Rappahannock Raiders last Thursday. The JV Blue Devil team had a good first half, leading 19-17. However, returning from the locker room, the Devils had multiple turnovers allowing the Raiders to pull ahead quickly with a score of 37-23 at the end of the quarter. Throughout the fourth quarter, Mathews tried to fight back, but failed to cut into the deficit. The Raiders took the win with a final score of 50-37.
Sophomore Michael Wiatt led the team with eight points, while sophomore Treye Church followed with six. Freshman Christian Wells and Wiatt led the team with five rebounds each. Near the end of the 4th quarter, the Devils’ bench found themselves on their feet cheering on teammate and eighth grader Channing Schurlknight as he scored his first points of the season with a mid-range jumper.
The varsity Blue Devils struggled to knock shots down, only recording one field goal and finding themselves trailing by 14 points at the end of the first quarter. Although the Devils’ offense started to heat up in the second, Mathews trailed at the half, 43-22. The Devils were not able to keep the range close in the second half with the final score, 74-43.
Freshman Finn McKinster led the team in scoring with 13 points, while junior Chase Ambrose followed up with 12. On the rebounding side, senior Blake Hunley was aggressive on the board with eight rebounds. Hunley also had three assists.
Lancaster
Mathews took to the road Monday to face the Lancaster Red Devils. During the JV game, the Red Devils started off hot with four three-pointers in the first quarter. Mathews was getting good offensive opportunities, but was not able to capitalize. In the second quarter, Mathews fought to close the gap. Wiatt hit a buzzer beater three-point basket to end the first half 25-13, advantage Lancas-ter. Coming out of halftime, the Blue Devils couldn’t find their footing, only scoring 16 points in the half. The team’s defense wasn’t able to stop the Red Devils, with the final score being 59-29. Leading scorer for Mathews was Wells with eight points. Sophomore Elton Hudgins contributed heavily on defense with four steals in the game.
The varsity Blue Devils went up against last year’s regional champions. The Red Devils took a strong lead by the end of the first half with a score of 48-15. Mathews had a difficult time defending the paint against Lancaster’s front court. In the second half, the Red Devils kept their pace, not letting up until the final buzzer, winning 72-28. McKinster led the Blue Devils in scoring with a total of nine points. Closely following behind was Hunley with eight. McKinster also shined on defense with six blocks.
King and Queen
The Mathews Blue Devils boys’ basketball teams hit the road again Tuesday, traveling to King and Queen Central and both looking to bounce back after two straight losses.
The Mathews JV boys never trailed on the night, jumping out to an early lead and cruising to a 32-17 road win in the Tigers’ gym. Freshmen Brandon Hubbard and Kristopher Diggs set the tone right away, each knocking down a three-pointer in the opening minutes. Mathews held the lead from the opening tip to the final buzzer, despite missing three of its usual stat leaders. The Blue Devils turned to their younger players of the night and they delivered. Eight different Mathews players scored in the victory, spreading the offense across the lineup. Freshman Cole Christenson chipped in five points, sophomore Trent Hudson added two points, and freshman Morgan Sterne scored three points to help power the Blue Devils’ attack. On the defensive end, Mathews was dominant. The Blue Devils played smothering defense throughout the game, holding the Tigers scoreless for long stretches and forcing turnovers. Team Mathews finished the night with 10 steals.
Sophomore Corey Zheng led the defensive effort off the bench, collecting five steals and adding six points. Starter Brandon Hubbard turned in a strong all-around performance with six points, five rebounds, one steal, and one assist. Freshman Kristopher Diggs, making his first start of the season, brought energy on both ends of the floor. Diggs grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and contributed five points, playing aggressively all night and helping Mathews control the boards.
The Mathews Blue Devils varsity boys found themselves successful as well, grinding out a tight 52-49 win in a game that went down to the final seconds. Junior guard Chase Ambrose came out hot from the opening tip, knocking down three three-pointers in the first few minutes of play. King and Queen’s point guard answered with a big quarter of his own, scoring 15 points in the first, but Mathews held on to a one-point lead after one quarter of play. Mathews took control in the second quarter with strong ball movement and solid team defense.
The Blue Devils outplayed the Tigers on both ends of the floor and carried a 10-point lead into halftime. The third quarter was evenly played, with each team adding 10 points to its total. Mathews maintained its 10-point advantage heading into the final period which turned into a nailbiter. King and Queen quickly cut the Mathews lead to three points by the 6:50 mark, and the intensity picked up as both teams battled for every possession. The game was tied with 2:35 remaining, and K&Q then grabbed its first lead of the night, going up by one point with 1:30 to play. They stretched the margin to three points shortly after. Mathews responded in the final minute. Ambrose came through again, hitting a game-tying three-pointer with 50 seconds left. From there, the Blue Devils sealed the win at the free throw line. Senior Blake Hunley and freshman Finn McKinster were perfect in the clutch, combining to go 4-for-4 from the stripe in the last 40 seconds, securing the 52-49 road victory. Hunley turned in a strong all-around performance, going 4-for-4 at the free throw line and finishing with 11 points, six rebounds, five steals, and six assists. McKinster was a force on the boards, going 7-of-12 from the line, grabbing 16 rebounds—including seven offensive rebounds—and adding two steals, two blocks, and 11 points. Senior starter Adam Dustin also contributed in a big way, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line, pulling down six rebounds, and totaling nine points. Ambrose led the team in scoring with 14 points, including that crucial three-pointer late in the fourth quarter.
With several injuries shortening the varsity bench, the Blue Devils called up two players from the JV squad: sophomore Michael Wiatt and freshman Christian Wells. Wiatt entered the game in the second quarter and quickly made an impact with a basket off an offensive rebound, finishing with six rebounds. Wells added one point from the free throw line and provided key minutes off the bench.
The Blue Devils boys will look to build on the win when they return home tonight, Thursday, Jan. 15, to host the King William Cavaliers. The JV tipoff is scheduled for 5:30, with the varsity game to start at 7.
