Guthrie leads Mustangs to a 58-48 victory over Ringgold
For 24 minutes, Wednesday’s boys’ basketball game between Ringgold and Laurel Highlands was the embodiment of the phrase “see-saw game.” That was before Shane Guthrie took over.
Guthrie scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the final eight minutes to lead the host Mustangs (2-2) to a 58-48 win in the final tune up before the Section 3-AAA schedule begins on Friday.
Through the first three quarters, the lead changed 19 times and was tied five times. The biggest lead for either team to that point was a 36-30 lead by the visiting Rams in the third quarter.
From that point on, LH outscored Ringgold, 28-12, beginning with an 11-3 run that included seven points by Guthrie, including a 3-point play to end the quarter that changed the lead for the final time at 41-39.
Guthrie scored the Mustangs’ first 12 points of the fourth quarter to offset a basket by Ringgold’s Donnie Henderson and a 3-point basket by John Maldonado as LH led 47-44.
Guthrie scored the next four points, Maldonado sank another trey, and Guthrie scored again for a 53-47 lead, and LH closed with a 5-1 run to end scoring.
Maldonado led the Rams in scoring with 21 points, including two treys and a 3-point play in the first quarter, while Guthrie scored six points, Joe Pegg added a trey, and Kody Thomas, Keith Liptock, and Nick Lancaster added baskets to leave the teams tied at 15-15 at the first break.
The Rams (1-2) held Guthrie without a point in the second quarter while Tyler Eadie sank a pair of treys and Joe Pegg added another trey as the game was tied at 27-27 at halftime.
The Rams’ Dayshore Majors opened the second half with a trey and Liptock tied the score with a 3-point play. A basket by Nico Law and a pair of baskets by Majors gave the Rams the 36-30 lead before Mustangs charged to the lead for good entering the final quarter.
Liptock and Eadie each finished with eight points behind Guthrie’s 27 points.
Laurel Highlands coach Rick Hauger said the Mustangs did a good job of getting the ball in Guthrie’s hands.
“Shane has those abilities (to dominate). We want and design our offense for him to be the go-to guy. Our perimeter players did a nice job of getting the ball inside and Liptock did well in getting the ball in from the high post.”
When asked about the game being broken open after looking like it might go down to the wire, Hauger said, “As far as I’m concerned it did go down to the wire. That number 23 (Maldonado) shoots lights out. Ringgold will do very well this year.”
The Mustangs play their first Section 3-AAA game in two years on Friday at Southmoreland and Hauger said, “We don’t have much time to prepare. But this was a very good game to prepare for us.”