By Shannon Fagan, WEIS Sports Director
SAND ROCK – With a crucial Class 2A, Area 13 contest at Gaston on Friday, Sand Rock boys basketball coach Nick Traffanstedt wanted the Wildcats to play a tough opponent just prior.
He got what he wished for by hosting Class 4A Hokes Bluff on Thursday.
After trailing by 14 at halftime, the Wildcats made a game of it in the fourth quarter. They got within two on a couple of occasions with under 40 seconds to go, but Hokes Bluff held on for a 72-67 victory.
“This game was to prepare us for what’s to come in the area tournament,” Traffanstedt said. “We didn’t win the game, and we wanted to win, but it worked out to be a close game. We battled back and that’s what I wanted so we could practice some of those in-game situations that you don’t get (in practice) all the time. We learned a lot tonight.”
After falling behind 11-2 early, Sand Rock battled back to take a 19-18 lead at the end of the first quarter.
But then it was bombs away for the Eagles (17-6). Hokes Bluff sank six of its 12 3-pointers in the second to take a 44-30 advantage into halftime.
“Our defense is young and young-minded with the way we close out,” Traffanstedt said. “Sometimes we close out with our hands down. I think they caught us off guard there, but all the credit to them because they shoot the ball well. They are a 3-point shooting team. That’s what they do. They’ve got a team of guards.
“At the same time, it helped our bigs learn how to close out and guard the perimeter. They’re learning how to close out. That’s exactly what I wanted to happen, for us to have to get out and guard.”
The Wildcats (15-11) did a better job on defense in the second half, allowing just two 3-pointers the rest of the way. That defensive effort, along with point guard Ty Traffanstedt’s free-throw shooting down the stretch, made Sand Rock’s comeback possible.
The Wildcats got within three at 65-62 on a 3-pointer by Jonas Browder with 55.3 seconds remaining. Five Ty Traffanstedt free throws helped Sand Rock hang tough and trail by two at 69-67 with 25.8 seconds to go, but the Eagles managed to make 5-of-6 free-throw shots down the stretch to hold on and escape with the win.
Ty Traffanstedt led Sand Rock with 17 points, including a perfect 9-of-9 performance from the free-throw line. Browder sank four treys and finished with 14 points.
Cam Gifford and Wyatt Miller managed 12 and 11 points for Sand Rock respectively. Will Cleere came away with 10 points.
Noah Anderson topped Hokes Bluff’s scorers with 24 points, including four 3-pointers. Bryce Whitaker scored 15 points. Logan Carr canned four treys and had 14 points. Ronan McFadden and Drew McCarver finished with seven and five points respectively.
The Wildcats look to regroup when they travel to Gaston on Friday. Hokes Bluff will travel to Cedar Bluff.
“It’s a big game (at Gaston). It holds home court advantage,” Coach Traffanstedt said. “They got us over here in overtime (52-46 on Dec. 13), but if we can go over there and win that game, that would be huge toward home court advantage.”
