Chargers Can't Hold On, Drop Season Finale To Cavaliers

JV Men's Basketball: Chancellor Chargers vs. Caroline Cavaliers

By: Greg Wolfe

The Chancellor Chargers (13-8) season ended in a tight fashion Friday night, as the Caroline Cavaliers (14-7) seemed to match them step for step. The Cavaliers’ Number 3 put up 20 points to help his team maintain control. The Chargers rode Anthony Melvin’s 20 point performance all night, working around his 3 fouls that limited his play.

To start the game, the Cavaliers got off to a hot start putting up four unanswered to kick things off. The Chargers defense was a bit off balance, allowing Numbers 3 and 5 to run up the middle for easy lay-ups. Melvin calmed the team down with a three, letting the Cavaliers know this wouldn’t be an easy contest. In just 2 minutes, Melvin put up 10 points.

Leading 15-13 in the first quarter, the Chargers were looking to keep that momentum they had built at the end of the quarter. The Cavaliers, through rebounds and forcing turnovers, swayed the game in their way. They worked off Chargers’ turnovers to amass the biggest lead of the night for both teams, at 7 points. Though no single Cavalier collected more than 10 rebounds, Number 21 set the pace with his 8 total in the night with 4 in the first half that allowed for second chance points.

Going into halftime the Cavaliers, riding a 7/14 shooting quarter and a 32-26 lead, felt all the power in their hands. The Chargers were trying to figure out who would get the ball through the net other than Melvin who had 12 of the Chargers points in the half.

The answer to the Chargers shooting needs? Vinny Lewis, who came alive after a tough first half. He dropped in 4 early second half points for the Chargers, who were on a 9-0 run. The Cavaliers took a breather on a well-timed timeout, and went on a 6-0 run of their own to get back in the game.

From there on out, the game was in a dead-locked tie. The Chargers and Cavaliers both matched each other step for step, as point leaders Melvin and the Cavaliers Number 3 battled each other. Both players ended with 20 points a piece, and the rebound game became pivotal. Both teams saw offensive rebounds become a rarity, and the game didn’t see very many second-chance points. Headed to the final quarter, the Chargers led barely 44-42.

The two teams continued their pace, until the Chargers biggest scorer went down late in the fourth with an apparent leg injury. He sat out for a couple minutes, and the Chargers weren’t able to get the ball to fall their way. The Cavaliers got hot, and that ended up being all she wrote for the Chargers with a 56-49 final score.

The Chargers, as runners up in Conference 19, should feel very confident moving forward with a bright looking future to replace a senior-heavy Varsity team. Great season, JV!

Statistics

Chancellor Chargers

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Caroline Cavaliers

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