(February 6th, 2015) – WEST UNITY: The Cadets dominated most of their junior varsity contest against Pettisville on February 6, but the young Blackbirds never stopped fighting. And while that wasn’t enough to get them back into the game, their efforts should still be commended.
Hilltop claimed a 43-31 win over the Blackbirds, but the score could have been much worse, had Pettisville simply laid down when the contest ceased to be in doubt.
The Cadets came out swinging, taking a 10-2 lead in the first quarter. Then their offense exploded in the second period. The Hilltop boys put up an impressive 19 points, dwarfing the 8 scored by the Blackbirds. At the half, Hilltop commanded a 29-10 advantage over Pettisville.
Not letting up in the third period, Hilltop again outscored the Blackbird boys 10-2. Ahead 39-12 in the final stanza, it looked as though the Cadets would win be at least 20 points. Pettisville’s pride would not let that happen, however. Making a huge run for the entire third quarter, powered mostly by some amazing three-point shooting, the Blackbirds took the fourth quarter as their own, 19-4. Still, Hilltop was able to walk off the court with a 12 point victory.
Steven Riley and Kristian Grapengeter, both Cadet freshmen, each totaled 12 points. That tied them for the high scorer of the game. Ben Gray, of Pettisville managed 8 points in the loss.