Final Score:WS Reagan 82, WS Reynolds 71
Reagan -- 17-22-16-27 -- 82 Reynolds -- 19- 7-17-28 -- 71
REAGAN (15-8, 8-6) Jalil Rogers 32, KJ Ford 20, Caleb Ellison 12, Jackson 8, Corbin 4, Quarless 3, Leonard 3.
RJ Reynolds (12-11, 7-6) MJ Raye 26, Eli Calhoun 17, Trey Tisdale 13, McMillian 8, Jeter 2, Reid 2, Mowery 2, Milner 1.
For the second time in three days, Reagan exorcised a long-standing demon, defeating Reynolds 82-71 on their home floor to break a winless streak dating back to five years. On Tuesday, the Raiders, now 15-8, beat Mount Tabor on the Spartans’ home court for their first win against their rivals since 2015.
The win positioned Reagan to finish in the top-half of the Central Piedmont 4A Conference standings at 8-6, pending the result of the Reynolds-East Forsyth make-up game tomorrow. After a brilliant first quarter by both teams that left the Demons up two (19-17) at the break, the Raiders sprinted out to a 13-point halftime lead & were seldom challenged in the second half. Back to back threes by guards Caleb Ellison & KJ Ford inside the final minute of the half sent Reagan to the locker room with momentum that carried throughout the final 16 minutes.
The Raiders led by as many as 15 four times in the second half, the last time at 66-51 with 4:30 left on a layup by Noah Quarless off a beautiful feed from sophomore center Cooper Jackson. Reynolds cut the lead to seven (68-61) late on back-to-back threes by Eli Calhoun off Reagan turnovers with 2:35 left.
But the Raiders extended their lead late through a parade to the free throw line in the final two minutes, finishing with 31-41 at the line for the game including 17-19 by Jalil Rogers. Rogers led all scorers with a game-high 32 points & freshman Ford had the most complete game of his young career with 20 points & a strong floor game. Ellison added 12 & a game-high six assists. Senior center Quinn Corbin led all rebounders with eight and Jack Leonard, the Raiders’ only other senior, added seven boards.
Standout RJR guard MJ Raye had 26 points & Calhoun added 17 for the Demons. Trey Tisdale contributed 13 & a team-high seven rebounds in the losing effort for RJR, a 55-52 winner at Reagan three weeks ago in the first meeting between the two rivals.
Reagan now awaits the results of the final CPC regular season game tomorrow between RJR & East Forsyth to determine first-round pairing on Monday for the conference tournament. The league’s top four teams earn a home game against their lower-seeded opponent.
Courtesy of Coach Bill Armour with Reagan Raiders basketball