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Panthers fall to Rams in second half
Something happened in the third quarter: full-court, man-to-man press. With that, the Strasburg Rams stepped up their defense and smothered Rappahannock on the back court. They stole the Panthers' half-time lead and robbed them of what could have been a satisfying third win this season.
"We got mugged in the back court," said Bob Czekaj, head coach for Rappahannock's varsity boys basketball team. "And what was a foul in the first half wasn't a foul in the second half," he said.
Czeckaj said the game got rough, and the referees let it happen. Still, he thought the Panthers should have kept it together when the Rams put the pressure on with aggressive coverage.
"We can't panic when that happens, and that's what we did," he said.
The Panthers held a narrow lead for most of the first half. Connor Settle kicked off the game with a 3-point shot to put Rappahannock on the scoreboard and ahead of the Rams. Settle found open space behind the 3-point line and hit another 3-pointer in the first quarter and then one more at the beginning of the second, bringing Rappahannock even with Strasburg at 13-13. Settle racked up 19 points by the end of the game.
Layups by Steve Dodson and rebounds-turned-shots by Will Boelte pushed Rappahannock ahead to a 27-22 lead at the end of the first half. The chemistry was there.
In the second half things fell apart. Strasburg snatched the ball on the defensive and capitalized on the opportunities with shot after shot. The Rams held Rappahannock to only 9 points in the third quarter, but they tallied 20, putting them ahead 42-36 going into the fourth quarter.
Rappahannock never came back from the deficit. The game ended with the Panthers behind by 14 points, down 61-47.
The disappointing end followed an 84-57 home-game loss to Clarke County High School last Thursday. The Panthers are 2-17 so far this season.
E-mail the reporter at mpelkey@timespapers.com
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