The Hargrave Tigers opened up their 2020-21 campaign with an intraconference matchup with New Covenant. A strong second half pushed the Tigers to an 85-72 opening victory moving their record to 1-0.
After a strong showing from the JV Basketball team in the opening game on Saturday, the Varsity Basketball team looked to build upon that strong performance and make a name for themselves early in the season. However, with some early foul trouble, the natural rust and nerves surrounding a season opener, the Tigers found themselves trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the second quarter. A quick run to close at the half pulled Hargrave closer but through the first two stanzas, New Covenant held a 40-36 advantage.
Coming out of halftime, the Tigers ratcheted up the defensive pressure and put together an instantaneous 7-0 run to gain a lead they wouldn’t relinquish for the remainder of the game. Hargrave controlled the tempo and were led by Collin Himmelberg’s ’21 (Chapel Hill, NC) 23 second half points en route to a 30 point performance in his Hargrave debut. The Tigers also got strong contributions from Keegan Barnhart ’21 (Novelty, OH), AJ Walton ’21 (Danville, VA), Kendrick Davis ’23 (Danville, VA), Caleb Causey ’21 (Richmond, VA) and CJ Farmer ’22 (Blairs, VA) as they withstood a late New Covenant push and held on for the 85-72 opening game victory.
Head Coach, Alan Petty, who earned a victory in his Hargrave debut, stated after the game, “It was great to get out here and compete as a team this afternoon! These guys have been working so hard, balancing everything on and off the court and they earned the right to play today. New Covenant is a scrappy team and the Walker kid can really play but I was proud of our effort, especially in the second half. Collin (Himmelberg), AJ (Walton), Caleb (Causey), and Keegan (Barnhart) really held their composure in the second half and the rest of the team fed off their energy. Our seniors led like seniors and they EARNED this victory!”
Notable Performances Included:
Collin Himmelberg ’21–30 points
Keegan Barnhart ’21–15 points
Kendrick Davis ’23–9 points
AJ Walton ’21–8 points
CJ Farmer ’22–8 points
Caleb Causey ’21–8 points
Hargrave will be back in action this weekend as they are set for a back to back against Blue Ridge School of St. George, VA. The Tigers will head to VIC opponent Blue Ridge School on Friday December 11th for a 6:30 PM tip-off and will square off with the Barons inside Walter Davis Gymnasium on Saturday December 12th with a 4:00 PM tip-off. Both games will be streamed as the game at Blue Ridge can be found on the NFHS Network and the game at Hargrave can be found on YouTube.
