Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Prescott Boys Defeat Blevins, 52-48

Prescott's senior boys basketball team has split its last two games.

The Wolves dropped a 65-51 decision to Nevada Monday, Nov. 22, but rallied to whip Blevins 52-48 Tuesday night.

PRESCOTT 52

BLEVINS 48

It was a back-and-forth night for both teams, as neither could do much with the other in the first half.

The game opened with both turning the ball over before Blevins scored on a free throw.

Prescott opened in a match-up zone, but the Hornets were patient and didn't get in any hurry offensively.

Both squads had trouble finding the bottom of the bucket, as the iron mining game was in full swing.

Shot after shot clanged on the rim, bouncing out into the melee for the rebound.

At the 5:12 point, the score was tied 5-5, with Prescott all over the court chasing the ball.

The game was physical from the opening tip as the teams pounded away at one another the entire 48 minutes.

At the end of one, the Hornets held a slim 11-9 lead as the Wolves missed a shot at the buzzer.

The battle continued in the second period, which opened with a Matt Brannon three.

Players on both sides drove the lanes, flashed for openings and fired away, but buying buckets was at a premium as shot after shot hit nothing but iron and careened back into the playing area.

It was a case of two teams playing good basketball but not being able to score.

One of the biggest problems was at the free throw line. It was as hard for the teams to hit from here as it was from the floor.

Prescott was one for six in the first half at the stripe, while Blevins managed five of 12.

Halftime arrived with the score deadlocked at 23-23.

Period three opened with more of the same. Both teams running up and down the court, firing away and coming up empty.

Prescott tried to pull away time and again in the third quarter, but each time they did the Hornets rallied and kept the game close.

Another headache both teams had was dealing with the officials as they called several three-second violations for players camping out in the paint.

This also helped to disrupt offenses for the two groups.

Still, the Wolves did manage to put some distance between themselves and the Hornets as the period came to an end with the score 37-30.

Blevins proved to be less than gracious hosts as the Hornets opened the final stanza by scoring five quick points.

The Hornets tied the game at 37-37 with 6:10 remaining and appeared to be in control of the contest.

However, the Wolves weren't ready to roll over and play dead by any means.

Prescott's offense showed signs of life as the Wolves fought back and took a 43-38 lead with 3:53 left.

While the Wolf offense began to gel better, the Hornets continued to swarm and stay in the game. With 2:21 to go, Prescott's lead was down to two at 47-45.

Blevins began pressing hard trying to force turnovers, but the Wolves played smart and worked the ball.

However, when Prescott had the chance to run, it was light's out because the Wolves inevitably scored.

The Hornets did everything possible to keep Prescott in a slow game.

As the clock wound down, Blevins was forced to take bad shots, which allowed the Wolves to hold on for the win.

Prescott was a woeful seven of 21 at the line, while the Hornets converted 12 of 26 free throws.

PRESCOTT 51

NEVADA 65

When the Wolves paid a visit to Nevada, the Blue Jays were terrible hosts as they posted a 65-51 win.

It seemed as though the Jays were more prepared for the game than was Prescott, as the Nevada players hit the boards harder and faster than the Wolves could.

Turnovers helped Nevada build a 9-0 lead in the first period, before Prescott could get underway offensively.

Three pointers from Brannon kept Prescott in the game during the period, but the Jays still led 17-12 at the buzzer.

Nevada stretched its lead to 36-25 by halftime, using the same strategy run, gun and steal.

The Jays were in the bonus situation at the 7:21 mark of the second and took advantage of most of their free throw opportunities.

Prescott, however, had fits getting a shot off as the Jays flocked to the ball, covering the offensive player like a blanket and forcing turnover after turnover, or bad shots.

The Wolves opened the third period with more spring in their step and fire in their eyes.

Prescott hit the boards harder, cleaning the glass of rebounds as they cut Nevada's lead to 38-34 with 5:11 left and tied the game at 40-40 with 3:27 showing.

The Wolves were poised to take control of the game, but found the Jays were not just going to let this occur.

Instead, Nevada went on an 8-2 run to pull away to a 48-42 lead at the 1:42 point, stretching this to a 53-44 margin by the end of the quarter.

The final frame opened with Prescott in a zone defense. This didn't affect Nevada as the Jays simply shot over it successfully, building their lead to 62-44 with 6:08 left in the game.

Still, Prescott's boys weren't through. The Wolves began chipping away at the Nevada lead, pressing on defense and hustling on offense.

Time, though, favored Nevada as the Jays hung on for the win.

Prescott's next game will be at home against league-rival Bismarck Friday night.

Nevada has a date with Stamps at Nevada.