About a month ago, an instant classic took place in volleyball with St. Agnes defeating Gordon/Rushville in three thrilling sets. Another nail biter happened on Tuesday between the 2 schools in basketball. And this time it was the Mustangs getting the win, defeating the Crusaders 22 to 20. The contest was played in Alliance as the Academy varsity squad fell to 1 and 3 for the season. Gordon also posted a victory in the late JV ball game. St. Agnes dropped to 2 and 2 on the year, losing a 14 to 10 decision. The guests rallied in the final quarter in the opener. Gordon outscored the Academy varsity team 6 to 0 in the fourth period in getting the W. Top scorer for the Crusaders was Kale Hulquist who had 8 points. Willow Hampton led the JV offense with 4 tallies.
Red hot shooting by the visitors is how the varsity battle started. Gordon scored 7 quick points on a pair of 2 pointers and a three to take the early lead. St. Agnes responded with an 8 to1 spurt to tie the contest at 8. A bucket by Alexis Shelmadine began the rally. Following a free throw by the Mustangs, the Academy got 4 points by Penn Vergil and hoop by Paisley Intermill to knot the affair at 8. The period closed with the guests up by 2 following a deuce by the visitors.
Six tallies from Hulquist helped the Crusaders take a small advantage in the second. Back to back scores by the Alliance seventh graders gave SA a 12 to 10 margin. After a Gordon free throw, Alliance went up 14 to 11 after 2 free throws by Hulquist. Gordon cameback with three straight to tie the game at 14 but a Vergil basket at the buzzer ended the half with St. Agnes holding on to a 16 to 14 lead.
Both teams had trouble offensively in the third. Alliance would score 4 points in the period while Gordon/Rushville was held to 2. Shelmadine gave the hosts a 4 point lead early in the quarter but 2 free throws by the guests made the scoreboard read Alliance 18 Gordon 16. The 6 minute frame came to a close with another hoop by Hulquist and the Academy enjoying a 20 to 16 advantage. In the fourth, Gordon scored the game’s next 4 points to tie the contest at 20 with 2 minutes remaining. A Mustang free throw ensued as GR surged ahead by 1. With under 5 seconds left, an Alliance foul sent a guest to the line for a pair of charity shots. The first was one was true, making it 22 to 20. The second was no good but the hosts had no time for a last second attempt. Final Gordon/Rushville 22 Alliance 20
GR 10 4 2 6 22
SA 8 8 4 0 20
Scoring for the Academy Hulquist 8 Vergil 6 Shelmadine 4 Intermill 2
Points were hard to come by in the JV match up. Gordon scored 4 in the first to take the early lead. A Sidda Wilcox hoop helped the Academy stay close. After one period, the visitors led 4 to 2. Gordon would score the only baskets in the second. The Mustangs were ahead 8 to 2 at halftime. In the third, the Crusaders would get baskets by Hampton, Vergil, and Hulquist to trim their deficit to 12 to 8 after three quarters of action. Both teams would score 2 points each in the fourth. A Hampton hoop at the buzzer was not enough as the Mustangs got the victory 14 to 10.
GR 4 4 4 2 14
SA 2 0 6 2 10
Scoring for the Lady Crusaders Hampton 2 Wilcox 2 Vergil 2 Hulquist 2
Hyannis comes to town on Saturday.