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TUESDAY December 16, 2003 - Subscribe - Contact Us Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 6, 2003 Bright season on deck for young Grizzlies By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings There was something huge about the season-opener for the Ashland High boys' basketball team on Friday in the Mountain Avenue Gymnasium against South Albany High. "The crowd was big," senior guard David Morris said. "In this gym, I don't know what it is. When the crowd starts going, the floorboards shake." That kind of game Though the Grizzlies fell 58-55 in overtime, the AHS squad put on a great show. Junior Grizz forward Jeff Skinner goes up with the jumper against South Albany on Friday night. Skinner hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, but the Rebels held on for the OT win. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings "I was very pleased with how hard our kids played. They stepped up and competed tonight," second-year head coach Rick Cornelius said. "They're a little disappointed, but we're really happy with everything they gave us." Ashland led until the final seconds of the third quarter, when Rebel senior post Phillip Price tied the game at 36 with a two-point bucket. Then things got interesting. "Obviously, the plan was to take away the perimeter," Cornelius said. "They got to the interior and exploited it. That was really the difference in the game." Ashland pulled even with South Albany at 41-all with 6 1/2 minutes left in the game, but it wouldn't be that easy. In the next four and a half minutes, the Rebels earned a five-point lead that Morris snapped with an under-the-basket shot. The crowd That's when the fans made their mark. "The real highlight of tonight was the enthusiasm of the crowd," Cornelius said. "The crowd got in their heads," Morris said about the Rebels. "It was like having a sixth man out there." Still, the tempo of the game didn't shift to the Grizzlies on the court. With just over a minute left, a scramble for the ball at mid-court resulted in a South Albany possession. Morris fouled sophomore Rebel wing Ryan Vargas, who missed all of his free throws during regulation. Ashland had less than a minute to recover from a 53-50 deficit, and it did. Junior forward Jeff Skinner hit a three-point jumper with 20 seconds remaining and time expired with the teams locked in a 53-all tie. Equal The first four possessions in overtime showed just how even the match-up between the Grizzlies and the Rebels was: not a single point was scored. Then Price went to the line and sent one in. Ashland responded, taking a 55-54 lead with two clean free throws from junior wing Corey Costantino, who had a career-high 28 points. That was the last lead the Grizz would see. South Albany grabbed the lead when Vargas made his first two foul shots on the night and the ball went to Ashland. Senior Grizz guard Logan Bishop brought the ball downcourt and then just stood there, trying to kill the clock. Almost a minute seeped off the clock before Costantino missed a lay-in and committed the offensive foul and sent senior Rebel point guard Mike Miller to the stripe. Miller made both shots, racking up a 58-55 lead that would persist. Ashland had 4.8 seconds left in overtime and a faint hope at tying again when Skinner launched another three-point hope, but this time the shot slapped the glass and missed the rim. "It was just a couple of things here and there - it was a close game and we learned a lot," Morris said. "We're really young and we've got a lot of good athletes." Cornelius agreed. "We have some good sophomores and juniors. I think we're quick, we defend pretty well and we've got some kids who shoot the ball well." Contantino led all players with his 28 ticks, shooting 10-of-19 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line. Price paced the Rebels with 16. Skinner grabbed 12 rebounds and added 7 points for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies' next text comes on the coast, in a non-league duel with North Bend on Saturday. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Road Cams