AHOSKIE – After getting three of their four teams into the championship round, Ridgecroft School was hoping to avoid being shutout of titles in their own Lt. Nick Brantley Memorial Scholarship Tournament.   The varsity girls took care of that, but the boy’s junior varsity weren’t so lucky as Pungo claimed that crown, 27-25.

Nate Van Staalduinen scored 15 points alone for Pungo with the rest of the Raiders scoring 12.  Luther Glover was high scorer for Ridgecroft with nine.

“We wanted it because the junior varsity team had never won it (championship),” said Ridgecroft head coach Kris Khan. “But turnovers late got to us.”

After Pungo opened the first quarter with a 4-0 lead. Boone Barkley got the Rams on the board with just over a minute-and-a-half left in the quarter with a steal and lay-up.  Trace Roberson tied it at 4-4 with a put-back late, but the Raiders squeezed out one more score to lead 6-4 after one.

It was tied twice in the second quarter (8-8 and 11-11) before Pungo got a pair of free throws from Brent Benson and a jump shot from Jacob Alligood to lead 15-11 at halftime.

Trailing 19-14 in the third, Ridgecroft got jump shot in the paint from Roberson and a three-pointer from Glover to tie it at 19-all.  The Rams were looking to grab the lead toward the end of the frame, but Van Staalduinen – who at one point scored 10 in a row – kept Pungo in front, and it was 21-20 after three.

Van Staalduinen’s scoring blitz carried over into the fourth quarter before Roberson got a steal and lay-up to make it 23-22, Pungo.   Because of Ram foul trouble, the Raiders attacked the middle and thus began a parade to the free throw line where Pungo had a hard time converting, making just two of eight. But Ridgecroft never could seize the moment – or the lead. Trailing 26-22, with under a minute to play Zeb Askew his only three-point attempt of the night to get the Rams within one point, 26-25.  Pungo tried to hand it to Ridgecroft once more by missing three-of-four foul shots, before Ryan Bishop drained one with 13 seconds left to make it a two-point game.  Ridgecroft had two more chances, but Glover’s three-point attempt at the buzzer was wide and the Raiders escaped with the win.

“We got back to running in the second-half,” said Pungo coach Jason Adams. “We adjusted and handled their pressure well.”

 

Ridgecroft resumes Tarheel Independent Conference play hosting Terra Ceia tonight (Tuesday).   Pungo is on the road at Hobgood.

 

PUNGO JV BOYS  (27)

Nate Van Staalduinen-15, Jacob Alligood-5, Ryan Bishop-3, Brent Benson-2, Miller O’Neal-2.

 

RIDGECROFT JV BOYS  (25)

Luther Glover-9, Trace Roberson-7, Boone Barkley-4, Zeb Askew-3.