Mount Airy 56, WS Reagan 53
Reagan - 14-19-12- 8 -- 53 Mount Airy - 17- 9-12-18 -- 56
Reagan (1-1) Noah Quarless 15, Jalil Rogers 14, Caleb Ellison 12, Collins 6, Jackson 3, McKoy 2, Pennell 1.
Mount Airy (2-0) Brooks Sizemore 13, Mario Reeves 11, Stroup 8, Reid 8, Hill 8, Nicolas 5, Joyce 3.
Mount Airy rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to defeat visiting Reagan 56-53 Wednesday night, their second win in as many nights. The Granite Bears scored 20 of 23 points over an eight-minute stretch from mid-third quarter to mid-fourth quarter to gain control of the game.
The winners led early, taking a four-point lead (17-13) into the second quarter, but the Raiders scored 18 of the next 22 points to lead by ten (31-21) with two minutes to go in the first half. Noah Quarless, the game’s leading scorer with 15 points, had three field goals in the stretch for Reagan.
The Raiders took their largest lead of the game midway through the third quarter (43-31) before Mount Airy, a NC 1A state semifinalist in 2019-20, locked down defensively & flipped the scoreboard, leading 51-46 with 3:30 remaining in the game. Reagan tied it twice down the stretch on baskets by Jalil Rogers (51-51 at 2:05) & Quarless (53-53 at 1:40).
But the Bears’ Caleb Reid scored on a pass to the inside (55-53) with 48 seconds left & Mario Reeves converted one of two free throws with 18 seconds left to increase Mount City’s margin to three. Malachi Collins & Rogers missed three-pointers in the final ten seconds to finish the Raiders’ rally hopes.
In addition to his game-high 15 points, Quarless also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds & contributed three steals. Rogers had 14 points & five rebounds and Caleb Ellison added 12 & five assists. Brooks Sizemore led the winners with 13 points & Reeves added 11. Mount Airy’s floor game was outstanding in the second half, committing only one of its seven turnovers in the game.
Reagan, an 80-28 winner in its opener Tuesday night at home against South Rowan, returns to the court Friday night at North Forsyth, one of three road games in the next eight days for the Raiders.
Courtesy of Coach Bill Armour with WS Reagan Boys Basketball