Rangers fall, Lady Rangers collect win
Published 11:51 pm Tuesday, February 1, 2022
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Star Photo/Gracie Fields Joe-Z Blamo of the Rangers drives the basketball around the Buc defense.
Star Photo/Gracie Fields Gavin Seigfried gets the basketball back out to the top of the key for the Rangers.
Star Photo/Gracie Fields Unaka's Joseph Slagle is guarded closely by a U-H defender.
Star Photo/Gracie Fields Haley Taylor brings the basketball into the front court for Unaka.
Star Photo/Gracie Fields A Lady Ranger works the basketball at the top of the key.
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BY ALLEN LAMOUNTAIN
STAR CORRESPONDENT
JOHNSON CITY – Conference road games are especially tough to win, but when you turn the ball over and miss 15 free throws it makes it nearly impossible.
On Tuesday night at Brooks Gymnasium, the Unaka Rangers had 10 second-half turnovers and connected on 17-of-32 chances from the charity stripe while falling to University High by a 64-53 tally in a Watauga Valley Conference basketball clash.
“You can’t beat good teams on the road shooting 50 percent from the line,” Rangers head coach Aaron Dugger said. “It has been a problem for us all year and you can’t lose your composure and let it get away then things like this happen.”
The Buccaneers (10-8, 3-2 WVC) opened with an 11-3 first period lead but Unaka (8-14, 1-4 WVC) roared back in the second period to close to within 27-25 by halftime.
Senior guard Joe-Z Blamo scored 10 first-half points and post Marcus Shomaker scored five tough points in the paint.
Guard John Carter scored a game-high 29 points for UH, hitting on 21-of-28 from the line – including 20-of-27 in the second half.
The Bucs took a 45-37 lead after three periods and answered a deuce from junior Landon Ramsey with a trey from Brady Weems. Ramsey hit another deuce in the paint to close to within 50-43 with 4:50 remaining in regulation.
Ryan Sexton hit a trey for the Rangers but Brayden Ryder scored a deuce for a 57-48 Bucs lead at the 2:23 mark.
“They outdid us in everything tonight,” Dugger said. “They whipped us from start to finish.”
Joseph Slagle and Blamo each scored 11 points for Unaka while Ryder scored eight points to back Carter’s scoring effort.
GIRLS
Unaka…………… 63
University High.. 26
Junior Lyndie Ramsey scored 26 points and the Lady Rangers defensively forced 22 Lady Bucs turnovers as Unaka won easily over winless University High.
The Rangers opened the game with a 17-2 tally and raced out to a 39-13 halftime advantage.
Tara Whitehead scored nine points with Julie Simerly adding seven more for Unaka (18-4, 4-0 WVC). Kiki Forney added seven points and Macy Ensor tallied six. Anna Wells had a team-high 10 points for the Bucs (0-17, 0-5 WVC).
“We have been working on our defense and we played well,” Lady Rangers head coach Kenneth Chambers said. “UH had a hard time scoring and we needed to have a good showing defensively because we have two tough road games coming up with North Greene and Cloudland coming up.”
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BOYS
University High 64-53
Unaka (53)
Slagle 11, Lydick 5, Sexton 7, Seigfried 4, D. Ramsey 3, Blamo 11, L. Ramsey 7, Shomaker 5.
University High (64)
Pealer 7, J. Carter 2, Weems 3, Carter 29, Boynawicz 4, Armstrong 2, Ryder 8, Croley 1, Cole 5.
Unaka …………… 3 22 12 16 – 53
University High .. 11 16 18 19 – 64
3-point goals: U 3 (Slagle, Lydick, Sexton), UH 4 (Carter 2, Weems, Boynawicz).
GIRLS
Unaka 63-26
Unaka (63)
Simerly 8, Ramsey 26, Whitehead 9, H.Taylor 3, Guy 2, Hardin 2, Forney 7, Ensor 6.
University High (26)
Ortiz 2, Chandley 5, Wells 10, Rice 4, Gilmer 2, Ledford 3.
Unaka …………… 17 22 17 7 – 63
University High .. 2 11 4 11 – 26
3-point goals: U 7 (Simerly 2, Whitehead, Ramsey, Forney, Ensor), UH 0.