Mohawks pound Tigers on senior night, fall at district to Harrisburg

The Piggott Mohawk's roller coaster of a season drew to a close Monday night as they fell to Harrisburg in the first round of the district tournament at Corning. The game was quite a contrast to last Friday's senior night contest at PHS, which saw the Tribe pound the Maynard Tigers 75-37 in their home finale.

Piggott vs Maynard

Against the Tigers last Friday night junior Rob Rice was deadly from the floor on the night as he finished with 27 to lead all scorers. While senior Chuck Rice had another 17 points, and added several assists, in his final home game at PHS. The contest also marked the final home appearance for Mohawk seniors Ethan Midkiff and Blake Burkman, who were in the starting lineup along with the Rice brothers and junior post-man Tyler Grubb.

As the contest got underway Rob Rice set the tone with two early three-pointers, and the Mohawks jumped out to a lead they would never relinquish. Burkman also hit a couple of early baskets, and Midkiff hit one-out-of-two free throws. Chuck Rice added another field goal and the Tribe found themselves up 13-2 midway through the first quarter. Following a Maynard timeout, and a technical on the Tiger coach, the Mohawks went on to extend their lead to 21-6 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter the Mohawks continued to shoot well from the floor, while the Tigers continued to suffer. Early in the period the Tribe stretched the lead to 28-6, and Coach Paul Seegraves began to substitute freely. This allowed the Tigers to put a few points up on the board, but the Mohawks continued to score as well. As the first half drew to a close the Tribe enjoyed a 41-17 lead.

Following the halftime intermission the Mohawks eased-up a bit, as they pushed the lead to 57-35 by the end of the third quarter. Down the stretch the Tribe starters and subs re-applied the defensive pressure as they limited the Tigers to just two points in the fourth quarter. The Mohawks also got several points off the bench, including two late three-pointers by freshman Jarrod Davis, as they cruised on to the 75-37 win.

Along with the 44 points from the Rice brothers, the Mohawks got six points each from Grubb, Justin Howell and Davis, Sam Yates finished with five, while seniors Burkman and Midkiff had four each. Blake Davis and Derek Murdock had seven points each to pace the Tigers in the loss. As a team the Mohawks were 11 of 21 from the free-throw line while Maynard converted on 11 of 19 attempts.

Piggott vs Harrisburg

Facing the Hornets for the third time this year, with two wins under their belts, the Mohawks rolled into their first round district tournament game at Corning and got a rude awakening. The addition of several freshmen from the Hornets junior high squad spelled the difference as Harrisburg posted the 14 point win. The Mohawks also shot themselves in the foot somewhat as they shot a dismal 13 of 32 from the free-throw line on the game.

Both teams shot poorly from the floor early in the game, and found themselves knotted at 6-6 mid-way through the first quarter. Finally the two squads begin to get warmed-up and the Hornets pushed to a 15-12 lead by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter Harrisburg began to find their inside game, and by the halftime break they had pushed to an eight point lead by a score of 33-25.

In the third frame the Mohawks tried several times to pull back into the contest only to see the Hornets respond. Going into the fourth quarter Harrisburg had extended their lead to 13 points as they led 53-40.

The two teams played evenly down the stretch, as Harrisburg worked to kill the clock against the explosive Mohawk offense. The Hornets outscored the Tribe 20-19 in the final frame to post the 73-59 win.

Chuck Rice and Grubb led the Mohawks on the night with 13 points each, Burkman and Yates had 10 points each, Rob Rice finished with eight and Midkiff had five points in the loss. Nathan Lindsey had 16 for the Hornets in the win.

With the loss the Tribe ends their season at 10-14 overall. Meanwhile, Harrisburg was slated to take on Hughes Tuesday night in the second round at Corning. The Blue Devils advanced with an upset over Brookland on Monday.