Craig made the long trip to Monterey with a 5-13 overall record and a 1-8 record in the Pioneer District after a busy stretch last week. The week began with a home game against Eastern Montgomery on Tuesday of last week and the visiting Mustangs took a 54-46 win.
Craig was down at half but kept it close. The Rockets had several chances late in the game to cut the lead or tie but couldn’t pull it out in the end.
“Down the stretch we missed a few point blank layups and could not hit our free throws,” said coach Ryan Frazier. “We played well enough to be in the game and have a shot at the end, we just didn’t execute when it mattered most.”
Matthew Lucas led Craig in scoring with 17, Hayden Reynolds had 10, Jaycob Wolfe and Luke Potter had seven each and Talon Ritter chipped in with five points.
On Thursday in Buena Vista the Rockets dropped a 90-56 game to a strong Parry McCluer team. The Rockets surprised the Blues by jumping to an 18-15 advantage in the early going but Craig wasn’t able to sustain a lead.
“We were playing some really good basketball against one of the best teams in the district,” said Frazier. “In the end they just had too much and were too deep for us to stay with them. I was proud of our effort and that we didn’t quit, there were some good positive signs to take from this game.”
Lucas finished with 18 points, Reynolds had 14 and Wolfe had 13 to lead the Rockets.
On Saturday the Rockets hosted Bland County in a girls-boys doubleheader and took a 63-51 non-district win. It was “Senior Night” and a good send off for the Rocket seniors. Prior to the game each senior was honored and given a nice basketball with their picture and information on the ball.
“We then got the game started and played a great team game that saw us get the win,” said Frazier. “We had three guys in double figures, and all three made crucial free throws down the stretch to secure our win. Lucas finished with 23 points, Reynolds had 17 and Wolfe scored 14.
“We were worried about their size giving us some problems, and after a few adjustments we handled that pretty well,” said Frazier. “Seth Parsons also scored seven points for us and played a fantastic game. He causes havoc on defense and it was evident in the second half when he made two plays that really gave us momentum and helped put the game to bed.
“At the end of the third quarter, with a few seconds left, we score and Seth turns and steals the inbounds pass and lays it in and cuts it to a one-point game, 46-45. This was the turning point in my opinion. A few minutes later we’re up a few points and they’re rolling the ball to save some time. Seth sprints to half court and dives for the ball and we get possession.
“I was really happy for Seth, he works hard and has a big role in our team that some don’t always see. Well, they got to see it front and center against Bland.”
Luke Potter played some great defense on Bland’s “go to” offensive player, holding him to 10 points.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our guys from bouncing back after two losses and getting a hard earned win on Senior night,” said Frazier. “Everyone contributed to a great team win.”
