Mustangs overcome 1st half for win over rival Whiteoak

MOWRYSTOWN — For two quarters, the Whiteoak Wildcats gave everything they had in their arsenal against Highland County rival Lynchburg-Clay Wednesday night at WHS. But once the third frame rolled around and LC made a few changes, the game went in favor of the visitors.

Lynchburg-Clay took a 10-point lead at halftime and came out of the locker room with all the momentum, beginning the third with a 15-0 run to pull away from their Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival for a 60-34 victory.

The win by LC keeps them in the driver’s seat of Division I of the SHAC, having just one loss in the conference standings at 11-1, while building their overall record to 16-2 on the season.

“I think the difference was we came out with more defensive intensity in the third quarter,” LC head coach Matt Carson said. “We’ve started slow the past few games, and we have to find a way to fix that.

“We shared the basketball better in the second half, found the open guy, and when we rebound and play good defense and find the open man, we are a good basketball team. As we get toward the tournament, it is about executing. The kids know what they are supposed to do – they are intelligent kids, great athletes. I have to do a better job of getting them in spots to execute, but count it as a win, and we’ll go forward.”

It was the third frame which changed the entire complexion of the conference game, and for LC they went on the aforementioned 15-0 run, as they began the third with a 27-17 lead and eventually finished the third with a lead of 50-27, outscoring WHS, 23-10.

Scoring for LC in that third frame were Brandon Storer, Eric McLaughlin, Devin Pierson, Josh Ahrmann and Joe Giordano. Pierson scored 11 points in the third and for the game finished with a game-high 19 points, leading all scorers.

LC also won the final frame, 10-7 with Josh Goble netting three points in the fourth, while Pierson, Ahrmann, Morgan Ryan and Christian Inman all reached the scoring column.

Ahrmann was the second-highest scorer for the Mustangs with eight points, while teammates Giordano and River Mullins finished the game with seven points. Mullins scored all seven of his points in the second quarter, including a 3-pointer.

For the second half, the Mustangs outscored the Wildcats, 33-17.

Not to forget the host Wildcats, their strong effort was evident, and head coach Jeremy McGraw said he was proud of his team and the way they played, especially in the first half.

“We wanted to slow the game down and try to play our game,” McGraw said. “We got some good looks, defensively we had some good stops and we were patient.

“In the second half, they went into the 1-2-1, and they (LC) are long and athletic, and we struggled to attack the gaps, but I was proud of our effort.”

The most competitive quarter was the first eight minutes of the game, where Pierson and McLaughlin scored for the Mustangs to make it a 4-0 lead with 5:15 on the clock.

WHS (2-9, 4-13) answered with a 3-pointer from Brandon Ashbaugh at the 4:46 mark of the quarter, then he came back with two more points off a jumper to push the Wildcats in the lead at 5-4 with 3:15 still left in the first.

LC answered with two points by Inman, but WHS took the lead back with points by Jacob Burns for a 7-6 advantage.

The Mustangs took the lead for good to end the first quarter with a layup from Giordano and a 3-pointer with 1.3 left on the first-quarter clock by Pierson for a four-point lead at 11-7.

Whiteoak was outscored 16-10 in the second frame, but Kyle Marler and Ashbaugh helped keep the Wildcats in the game with four points each in the second frame. For the game, Ashbaugh led the Wildcats with nine points.

Also scoring points in the second for WHS was Cody McClure, as WHS entered halftime trailing by a 27-17 score.

For LC in the second, Zach Blankenship made two free throws, while Mullins scored his aforementioned seven points (one 3-pointer). Also adding points for the Mustangs in the second quarter were Pierson, Ahrmann and a 3-pointer from Giordano.

This Friday, LC can clinch no less than a share of the Div. I SHAC championship when they face Ripley on the road.

The Wildcats are scheduled to host North Adams this Friday.

In JV play, LC won by a 50-44 score. Brian Lampkin led the Mustangs with 26 points, and WHS was led by Dylan Ison with 18 points.