The Harrisonburg Blue Streaks traveled to Rockbridge to take on the Wildcats in a Valley District showdown Jan. 23. This was a rematch of a Dec. 19 game where Harrisonburg handedly defeated the Wildcats. Rockbridge was looking to bounce back following a 23 point loss at the hands of Broadway last Thursday.
The Wildcats had a strong first half. Junior Forward Sam Ballstaedt sank three early three pointers to set the tone. Harrisonburg adjusted to the hot outside shooting from the Wildcats and countered with intense defensive pressure. The Wildcats had a 16-15 lead following the first quarter.
The half continued and the Wildcats stretched the lead. It was an action packed second quarter and hot shooting continued to give the Wildcats a 37-32 lead at the half.
Following some halftime adjustments, Harrisonburg took a lead that they never gave up. They used strong drives to the basket and drew lots of fouls. These fouls began to pile up and resulted in easy points for Harrisonburg at the foul line.
Senior center Milo Mulitalo discussed the game.
“We played well in the first half. Following halftime they made some adjustments and we were trading baskets. In the end, they just ended up converting on a few more possessions than we did,” said Mulitalo.
The game concluded with a 66-75 win for Harrisonburg. The Wildcats were paced by Freshman guard Bradi Ziegler and Junior guard Noah Hamm with 15 points a piece. Senior guard Henry Lambert also added 14 points. The Wildcats are now 2-16 and will face Salem Jan. 24.
