Combs leads Page County with 19, followed by Foltz and Eppard with 11
By Randy Arrington
ELKTON, Dec. 4 — The Page County Panthers won a thriller at East Rockingham on Thursday night to even out their early season record at 1-1. The non-district rivalry was knotted up six times and featured seven changes in the second half alone. The Panthers would hold on in the final minute to capture a 49-48 victory, their first win over the Eagles since 2016.
Page County’s defense has been extremely impressive on the court against Class 3 competition from the Valley District, but its offense has struggled early on — shooting just 26 percent from the from floor in a one-point loss to Turner Ashby in the season opener on Monday, and just 35 percent in a one-point victory over East Rock on Thursday.
Senior guard Caden Combs lead the Panthers on Thursday with 19 points, including a 7-for-9 performance at the line and a pair of three-pointers. Combs scored 11 of Page’s 20 first-half points.
While the Panthers edged out the home team 15-14 in the first frame, they went 6:30 into the second period (0-for-7) before hitting a bucket and shot 1-for-9 from the floor during the entire second quarter. Poor shooting, combined with seven first-half turnovers, left the Panthers at a 27-20 deficit at the break.
While the Page defense held East Rock senior Caden Clem to only eight points on the night, junior Kenneth Moore III posted a game-high 20 points. He had a team-high 16 points against Luray on Tuesday.
Moore lead the Eagles with eight points in the first half, followed by senior Michael Smith with six and senior Gunnar Cash with five. The Eagles hit 44 percent of their shots for the game, with equal success in both halfs.
After Page had a sluggish second quarter, East Rock would start the second half 0-4 from the field and only score two buckets in the first 6:50. During that stretch, the Panthers went on a 15-5 run to hold a 35-32 lead late in the third. Page went 8-of-9 from the line during the quarter to carry a 39-38 lead into the final frame. Senior Isaac Foltz recorded eight of his 11 points on the night in the third quarter, as Page made a 19-11 run over those eight minutes.
Both teams would post 10 points in the fourth, with score tied at 42 and 44. The margin was never more than four. Senior guard Trenton Eppard hit a bucket with 6:45 left to put Page up 42-38, and then hit a second consecutive bucket to break the 42-42 tie with 4:48 left. Eppard would finish with 11 points.
When Combs hit a jumper and free throw to put Page up 49-45 with less than a minute on the clock, the Panther faithful breathed a little easier. However, less than 30 seconds later, Moore hit a triple that made it a one-point game with :31.6 seconds left on the clock. Combs again drove the lane and hit the shot — but this time he was called for traveling.
East Rock had one last possession, down by one, with :16.2 seconds on the clock. The Eagles got the ball across half court and called a timeout with :11.9 seconds left. The final play was busted up by the Panther defense, and the game ended on a turnover.
Both teams committed a total of nine turnovers during the game, and both teams played great defense. Both had scoring droughts, and both teams took advantage when the opportunity came around. East Rock only outscored the visitors in one quarter (second – during Page’s 6:30 drought); however, Page only hit 35 percent of their shots from the floor, compared to 44 percent for the Eagles. East Rock went 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from the line, while Page went 14-for-20 (70 percent).
Up next, Page County (1-1) will host Fort Defiance in a rescheduled game for 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 8, followed by a road trip to Harrisonburg to face the Blue Streaks at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 2.
East Rock (0-2) will host Luray at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 11. The Eagles suffered a 72-52 loss at Luray in their Dec. 2 opener.
For schedules, rosters and results, check the Bull Run District website.
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