Matracia lifts MHS to first win of season
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
HILLSBORO — For the entire season, the McClain Tigers have been close, but not close enough to gain their first win of the season. That was until Thursday at Hillsboro High School, when they fended off a hard-charging Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs team as Zach Matracia put MHS ahead for good, gaining their first win of the year, 41-39.
The shot that gave the Tigers their first win of the year was converted when Matracia went past an LC player, who slipped in the paint, with 5.1 left on the clock in regulation.
"I'm happy. It is nice to learn when you win, but I'll be honest with you … we have a young team. We play three freshmen. We play four seniors who haven't played a lot of basketball. Our point guard is hurt. We have one kid who's been with us for three years. At this point, records can go out the window," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said about the Tigers gaining their first win. "We have to keep progressing, and the record will take care of itself, in my opinion. Obviously, it feels better to be 1-7 rather than 0-8, but I am just happy where our kids are headed."
Matracia led all scorers with 23 points.
Eaton continued to talk about his senior starter.
"One of the good things about having (Matracia) in there shooting is he said 'Coach, when I go one-on-one, can you give me a move we can score on?' The move he made to score that last basket is the move we worked on," Eaton said. "It is nice to see … the kid is very coachable. It is one thing to teach, it's another thing to learn. He's been big for us."
MHS (1-7) did have to maneuver through some obstacles in the second half to win the second game of the SCOL-SHL Challenge. McClain led 24-19 after the first quarter but trailed 35-30 after the third frame.
LC jumped out to an 11-1 run, including five points from Dylan Noll, along with two points from Steven Collins that gave the Mustangs a 28-25 lead with 5:11 left in the quarter.
After two points from Shain Gragg put LC up five points, Matracia and Aaron Pryor, who scored eight points, cut the advantage down to one point with 3:08 left in the frame.
Wes Pierson added to the Mustangs' lead by nailing a 3-pointer at the 1:28 mark of the same quarter.
LC continued to score from beyond the arc to start the fourth with Austin Fawley knocking down a 3-pointer with 7:42 left in regulation.
Then Matracia went on a tear, putting the Tigers on his back for six consecutive points in a span of over four minutes, bringing the Tigers within two points of tying the game (38-36). Scott Balzer sank a free throw, cutting the LC lead to one point.
The Tigers took the lead with their bread-and-butter … defense. Zach Uhl stole the ball for an LC turnover, went down court, and sank a jumper with 2:07 left in the fourth to complete a MHS 9-0 run for a 39-38 Tiger advantage. Uhl netted seven points for the game.
This was the first time all season MHS won the final four minutes of the game, outscoring LC 7-1.
"Before (Thursday), we have lost the last four minutes in every game, but that was attributed to playing a lot of guys early so we could finish," Eaton said.
LC tied the game at 39 with a free throw from Dallas Puckett.
The first half was a different story as each team were opposites of one another in the first two quarters.
MHS led 18-6 after the first eight minutes ticked off the clock, but in the second frame, the Mustangs outscored MHS, 13-6 for a halftime score of 24-19, MHS.
In their 18-point first quarter, MHS scored the game's first nine points. Scoring in the run were Pryor and Matracia, as Matracia scored seven straight, including a three-point play with 5:25 left in the quarter.
Gragg stopped the scoring streak by the Tigers, who less than 24 hours earlier had a six-point loss to rival Hillsboro, but MHS answered with two points from Uhl with an assist by Matracia. Matracia wrapped up the first quarter with 11 points.
The second-quarter scoring started off with Fawley making a 3-pointer, cutting the MHS lead to nine points. Gage Waits, Wes Pierson and Tyler Davidson combined for an 8-2 run to end the second quarter. Pierson and Davidson made consecutive 3-pointers to end the opening half.
Pierson and Fawley led LC in scoring with eight points each. Noll netted seven.
MHS shot 8-of-16 from the free-throw line, with LC going 3-of-7.
The Tigers play again on Tuesday, Dec. 28 as they host the Fairfield Lions at McClain High School in a game between two Highland County rivals. LC will play again on Wednesday, Dec. 29 as they host New Boston.[[In-content Ad]]
The shot that gave the Tigers their first win of the year was converted when Matracia went past an LC player, who slipped in the paint, with 5.1 left on the clock in regulation.
"I'm happy. It is nice to learn when you win, but I'll be honest with you … we have a young team. We play three freshmen. We play four seniors who haven't played a lot of basketball. Our point guard is hurt. We have one kid who's been with us for three years. At this point, records can go out the window," MHS head coach Brent Eaton said about the Tigers gaining their first win. "We have to keep progressing, and the record will take care of itself, in my opinion. Obviously, it feels better to be 1-7 rather than 0-8, but I am just happy where our kids are headed."
Matracia led all scorers with 23 points.
Eaton continued to talk about his senior starter.
"One of the good things about having (Matracia) in there shooting is he said 'Coach, when I go one-on-one, can you give me a move we can score on?' The move he made to score that last basket is the move we worked on," Eaton said. "It is nice to see … the kid is very coachable. It is one thing to teach, it's another thing to learn. He's been big for us."
MHS (1-7) did have to maneuver through some obstacles in the second half to win the second game of the SCOL-SHL Challenge. McClain led 24-19 after the first quarter but trailed 35-30 after the third frame.
LC jumped out to an 11-1 run, including five points from Dylan Noll, along with two points from Steven Collins that gave the Mustangs a 28-25 lead with 5:11 left in the quarter.
After two points from Shain Gragg put LC up five points, Matracia and Aaron Pryor, who scored eight points, cut the advantage down to one point with 3:08 left in the frame.
Wes Pierson added to the Mustangs' lead by nailing a 3-pointer at the 1:28 mark of the same quarter.
LC continued to score from beyond the arc to start the fourth with Austin Fawley knocking down a 3-pointer with 7:42 left in regulation.
Then Matracia went on a tear, putting the Tigers on his back for six consecutive points in a span of over four minutes, bringing the Tigers within two points of tying the game (38-36). Scott Balzer sank a free throw, cutting the LC lead to one point.
The Tigers took the lead with their bread-and-butter … defense. Zach Uhl stole the ball for an LC turnover, went down court, and sank a jumper with 2:07 left in the fourth to complete a MHS 9-0 run for a 39-38 Tiger advantage. Uhl netted seven points for the game.
This was the first time all season MHS won the final four minutes of the game, outscoring LC 7-1.
"Before (Thursday), we have lost the last four minutes in every game, but that was attributed to playing a lot of guys early so we could finish," Eaton said.
LC tied the game at 39 with a free throw from Dallas Puckett.
The first half was a different story as each team were opposites of one another in the first two quarters.
MHS led 18-6 after the first eight minutes ticked off the clock, but in the second frame, the Mustangs outscored MHS, 13-6 for a halftime score of 24-19, MHS.
In their 18-point first quarter, MHS scored the game's first nine points. Scoring in the run were Pryor and Matracia, as Matracia scored seven straight, including a three-point play with 5:25 left in the quarter.
Gragg stopped the scoring streak by the Tigers, who less than 24 hours earlier had a six-point loss to rival Hillsboro, but MHS answered with two points from Uhl with an assist by Matracia. Matracia wrapped up the first quarter with 11 points.
The second-quarter scoring started off with Fawley making a 3-pointer, cutting the MHS lead to nine points. Gage Waits, Wes Pierson and Tyler Davidson combined for an 8-2 run to end the second quarter. Pierson and Davidson made consecutive 3-pointers to end the opening half.
Pierson and Fawley led LC in scoring with eight points each. Noll netted seven.
MHS shot 8-of-16 from the free-throw line, with LC going 3-of-7.
The Tigers play again on Tuesday, Dec. 28 as they host the Fairfield Lions at McClain High School in a game between two Highland County rivals. LC will play again on Wednesday, Dec. 29 as they host New Boston.[[In-content Ad]]