The Ragland Purple Devils finally opened the 2006-07 basketball season last week at home against Jefferson Christian. Although they lost, the Purple Devils bounced back with a convincing win over Appalachian and are now 1-1 on the season.Due to the Purple Devil football team advancing to the semi-finals of the state playoffs, the basketball season was delayed until Dec. 12.
Jefferson Christian 53, Ragland 37
Turnovers and poor shooting hampered the Purple Devils as they lost to JCA 53-37. Ragland trailed 7-4 after the first quarter and 21-11 at intermission.
The Purple Devils outscored JCA 15-11 in the third quarter to make it 32-26. Ragland cut the JCA lead to three points in the fourth quarter, but turnovers and poor shooting allowed JCA to extend its lead and win the game 53-37.
Leading the Purple Devils was Aaron Jackson with eight points. Close behind was Dewayne Smith with seven points, while Jonathan Talley and Justin Hollingsworth netted six points each. Talley led the team with six rebounds. Jarod Brock was held to two points.
Coach Andy Eden said the effort and the hustle by his team were excellent.
“We just did not shoot the ball well enough to win the game,” Eden said. “We will need to also cut down on our turnovers. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and get better.”
Ragland 51, Appalachian 32
The Purple Devils evened their record at 1-1 following a 51-32 victory over Appalachian.
Ragland jumped out to a quick start as they were up 18-7 after the first quarter and increased the lead to 32-15 at halftime.
By the end of the third period, Ragland’s lead was 47-24, and they went on to win 51-32.
Two Purple Devils were in double figures with Jackson leading the way with 18 points. Nathaniel Bridier added 12 points and grabbed five rebounds. Hollingsworth netted eight points, while Smith totaled seven points. Brock had four points.
Eden said it was a good win for his team and they shot the ball much better than in the game against JCA.
“We used our press to create some turnovers that led to some easy baskets,” Eden said.
