Hall-Dale boys basketball holds off Valley in cross-class showdown

Valley’s Fisher Tewksbury, left, and Hall-Dale’s Karter Eldridge, center, battle for a loose ball. (Rich Abrahamson/Staff Photographer) Purchase this image

FARMINGDALE — The matchup wasn’t a traditional one, but both the Hall-Dale and Valley boys basketball teams had plenty of positives to take away from their interclass game Friday night.

Class C Hall-Dale won on its home court against the Class S Cavaliers, 66-57, in a battle of teams with championship aspirations. Hall-Dale trailed only once, 3-1 in the opening minutes, but the Bulldogs had to withstand a number of runs by Valley.

“It was awesome,” said Hall-Dale’s Karter Eldridge, who led the Bulldogs in points (23) and rebounds (11). “Our fans were great with all the kids here for youth night, and (Valley) brought a huge crowd. I love playing teams we’ve never played before. They’re a really intense team, and it was a lot of fun.”

HOW HALL-DALE DID IT

• Free-throw shooting. The Bulldogs (11-1) got to the foul line with great effectiveness and took advantage by going 18 for 22 overall and 9 for 10 in the fourth quarter. Tayshaun Cleveland was 9 of 10 from the line, while Eldridge made 6 of 7.

“We shoot a lot of free throws every practice, so that definitely helps,” Eldridge said. “When we have our fans cheering us on and supporting us like we did tonight, that’s big, too. We don’t feel the pressure in situations like that; we’re poised, and we’re ready for the moment.”

• Hall-Dale answered Valley’s runs. Every time the Cavaliers (11-2) closed the gap, the Bulldogs built the lead again. Two particular runs were key: an 8-0 spurt to end the first half after Valley had tied it at 29, and a late burst to build the final margin to nine after the Cavaliers had clawed to within two.

“I thought it was a really even basketball game,” said Hall-Dale coach Chris Ranslow. “I was disappointed with our transition defense, but outside of that, I thought it was a gutty effort. It was a thing where they’d score, then we’d score, they’d score, and we’d score twice. We just kept nudging away.”

WHAT IT MEANS

• Hall-Dale has won four in a row after suffering its only loss of the season on Jan. 6 against Mount View. The Bulldogs rebounded by beating Winslow, Monmouth Academy and Madison before taking down the No. 1 team in the Class S South Heal points standings. Hall-Dale is No. 1 in Class C South.

“We talked a little bit internally as a coaching staff, and that loss against Mount View might have been the best thing for us,” Ranslow said. “It’s cliché to say that, but the response has been really good. We’ve played four times (since then), and we’ve found four different ways to win.”

• Valley’s ability to compete with a Class C contender bodes well for its Class S title hopes. The Bulldogs are a better team than anyone the Cavaliers will have to face in the state tournament next month, and Valley will get another shot at Hall-Dale on Jan. 23 in Bingham.

“For us, this was a moral victory,” said Valley coach Mike Staples. “Certainly, we would love to have won the game, but the boys played hard tonight; they gave a great showing and played their hearts out. I’m extremely happy with the effort.”