MHS hosts Lancaster Thursday; Indians Saturday
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| Middlesex senior guard Jake Fletcher gets off a shot against an aggressive Essex defense in Monday night’s 68-40 loss to the Trojans. (Photo by Tom Hardin) |
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| Middlesex forward Nigel Rich (left) battles for a rebound in Monday’s loss to Essex. (Photo by Tom Hardin) |
The Trojans spread the floor on the Chargers and used their quickness and sharp passing to jump to a 38-24 halftime lead.
On the defensive end, Essex’s tight man-to-man defense stymied the Middlesex offense and limited the Chargers to only 13 field goals in the game.
Good defense by MHS junior Michael Bess and others held Essex standout guard John Dillie to only 7 points, but the rest of the Trojans took up the slack.
Malcolm Ward and Bess, the only two returning players off last year’s MHS team, scored 29 of the Middlesex’s 40 points. Ward had 15, and Bess scored 14.
The Chargers didn’t have a 3-point goal and were 14 of 23 at the free throw line.
The Trojans tallied 18 of their points from behind the 3-point arc.
Also scoring for Middlesex were senior forward Nigel Rich with 5 points, Davonne Bryant and Markus Hammond with 2 apiece, and Cody Hunter and Sean Sutherlin with 1 point each.
The schedule gets no easier for the Chargers as they host Lancaster tonight, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m. and host Northumberland on Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m. The JV games begin 90 minutes before the varsity games.
On Monday, Middlesex (0-3) visits Essex for a rematch, and on Thursday, Dec. 18. the Chargers host Rappahannock.
The Middlesex High School Holiday Basketball Tournament is set for Friday and Saturday, Dec. 26-27, in the John S. Clements Memorial Gym at MHS.
NHS 59, MHS 44
In their season opener on Dec. 2, the Chargers lost 59-44 to a good Northumberland team in Heathsville. The Indians jumped to a 39-15 halftime lead. Middlesex regrouped in the second half and outscored NHS 39-30 after intermission.
Ward led Middlesex with 13 points, Bess had 12, Rich 7, Michael Eades 6, Hunter 4 and Shawn Lee 2.
NHS 59, MHS 51
The Chargers traveled to Northumberland again on Dec. 5 and played much better in a 59-51 loss. Behind the play of Ward, the Chargers led 30-27 at the half, and trailed by only a point at 42-41 heading into the final period.
The more experienced Indians pulled away in the fourth period and won 59-51.
Ward tallied a season-high 22 points, senior guard Jake Fletcher added 8, Hunter had 7, Bess, Rich and Ruffin Creekmore scored 4 apiece, and Matt Duke chipped in 2.
