GRUNDY, Va. —
Richlands put the heat on Grundy in the first quarter.
Then Gabe Hunsaker heated up and that was all the Blue Tornado needed.
Hunsaker hit five 3-pointers, four in the second period as the Blues blasted the Golden Wave, 84-53, Thursday night.
In a non-district renewal of an old Southwest District rivalry, Richlands smothered Grundy with full-court defensive pressure, forcing 11 early turnovers on the way to a commanding, 26-4 lead in the first period.
"We've been working on our pressure a little bit," Richlands coach Jody Fuller said. "Sometimes we catch people off-guard with it and we played with some intensity tonight, and I've really proud of them."
Grundy, which turned the ball over 29 times overall, recovered to some extent on its end of the floor, but never recovered on defense and Hunsaker took advantage of it.
The Blues' only senior, Hunsaker hit four straight treys at one point and scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half. It helped Richlands keep a big lead, which stood at 44-19 at halftime.
"He was feeling it and you feed the monster when he's hot, and we were trying to get (Hunsaker) the ball," Fuller added. "That's what I told the kids, when a man's got a hot hand you got to find him."
Ben Brown added a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds and added five assists for the Blues. Zach Johnson scored 10 points.
Grundy got no closer than 18 points in the second half, despite a much better effort in the third period. The biggest lead for the Blues was 81-48.
Charles McCoy posted a double-double for Grundy (0-11) with 13 points and a game-high 18 rebounds.
Dylan Billiter added 12 points and Jordan McCoy scored 10 points. Blake Cehajic pulled down 10 boards.
It was a frustrating night for the winless and inexperienced Golden Wave, which starts four sophomores.
"It was disappointing all the way around," first-year Grundy coach Jeremy Ratliff said. "I thought we'd be better by now, but we'll just have to keep working at it."
It was a big night for the Blues (2-7), who got just their second win of the season.
"A win like this helps our confidence," Fuller said. "We've been through some tough times this season and these kids didn't quit tonight. They've pushed through it."
RICHLANDS (84)
Call 6, Davis 8, Anderson 9, Brown 13, Hunsaker 22, Johnson 10, Sahyouni 5, Moir 4, Meadows 6, Austin 1.
GRUNDY (53)
C. McCoy 13, Billiter 12, J. McCoy 10, Cehajic 6, Dillow 8, Viars 1, Nash Cleek 0, Hawkins 3, Harr 0.
Richlands..............................26 18 17 23 — 84
Grundy....................................4 15 19 15 — 53
3-point goals – Ric 8 (Hunsaker 5, Davis 2, Brown), Gru 2 (Billiter 2).
Girls
Grundy 65, Richlands 47
The Lady Wave used a balanced attack and pulled away in the second half to a win in Thursday's opening contest.
A strong transition effort fueled a 10-0 run in the first half, when Grundy took a 21-13 lead, and a 10-2 run in the third quarter, when the Lady Wave extended its advantage to 39-24.
Morgan Hall scored 19 points and hauled in eight rebounds, while Loni Webb added 14 points and eight assists for Grundy (10-2). Krystal Cantrell added 10 points.
Brittany Allen scored 16 points to lead three double figure scorers for the Lady Blues (8-2). Makenley Davis added 13 points and Cassie Richardson scored 11 points.
It was the second straight loss for Richlands, which played without starting guard Montana Hearl, who is out with an injury.
RICHLANDS (47)
Allen 16, Davis 13, R. Alley 3, Richardson 11, Ashiq 2, Casey 0, Compton 2, H. Alley 0.
GRUNDY (65)
Hall 19, Cantrell 10, Charles 7, Webb 14, Snead 4, Lane 9, Owens 2, Sperry 0, Yates 0, Kyle 0, Elswick 0, Williams 0, Thornsbury 0.
Richlands...............................13 8 11 15 — 47
Grundy...................................13 14 15 23 — 64
3-point goals – Ric 3 (Allen, Davis, Richardson), Gru 6 (Lane 2, Webb. Charles, Cantrell, Hall).
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January 11, 2013
Richlands blows past Golden Wave
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