LIVE BLOG: Dan River falls to James River in Group A semifinals

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1:48 p.m. - James River 52, Dan River 50 - Final

James River advances to play Buckingham in the Group A, Division 2 state championship game after barely off holding Dan River.

Leading by one, Patrick Bennett made 1 of 2 free throws with 3.2 seconds left, allowing Dan River a chance to inbound the ball and try for the final shot.

Reggie Stone dribbled it across halfcourt and tried to get free for a shot, but by the time he released the ball, the clocked had already reached 0:00, signaling the end to Dan River’s season in heartbreaking fashion.

1:42 p.m. - James River 50, Dan River 48 with 23.6 seconds left in the first overtime

James River has been beating Dan River to the punch in the later point of the overtime after Dan River held the ball for the first half of the period. Trey Edmunds fouled out a few seconds ago and Jordan Talbott is heading to the line to possibly put it out of reach.

1:33 p.m. - Dan River 44, James River 44 heading into overtime

Raymond Hairston’s shot was blocked and the Wildcats could not get off another shot as the game is heading to overtime. Both teams are in the double bonus.

Kevin Eldridge has 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats and Trey Edmunds has 13 points and nine rebounds.

1:32 p.m. - Dan River 44, James River 44 with 30.1 seconds left

Dan River coach Jacob Gruse got a timeout called before his team was called for travel. The Wildcats are probably designing a play to get the last shot.

Things have picked up quite a bit in the fourth quarter. Dan River’s lead ballooned to 35-28 with 6:59 left in the quarter. Since, James RIver is on a 9-3 run to close the deficit to one. Trey Edmunds has scored 12 and Kevin Eldridge has added 10. Patrick Bennett leads all scorers with 14.

1:10 p.m. - Dan River 31, James River 24 at the start of the fourth quarter

James River did not hit a field goal in the third quarter as a result of Dan River’s renewed sense of urgency on the defensive end. The Knights shot 0 of 9 from the field for the quarter. Trey Edmunds leads all scorers with 11 points.

1:03 p.m. - Dan River 29, James River 22 with 3:25 in the third

Whatever Jacob Gruse said in the locker room, it seems to have worked. Dan River has held James River to a measly free throw in the quarter and have forced four turnovers and harrassed the Knights’ ballhandlers up and down the court. Trey Edmunds has 11 points and Kevin Eldridge has six.

12:57 p.m. - Dan River 22, James River 21 with 5:15 left in the third

Here come the Wildcats. Easy baskets by Kevin Eldridge and Reggie Stone to start the quarter have energized the Dan River fans and the players. Eldridge just gave Dan River the lead with an offensive rebound putback. Dan River has forced three early James River turnovers and the Wildcats are starting to grab every offensive rebound.

12:50 p.m. - A closer look at the first half

Dan River coach Jacob Gruse feels the Wilcats did not do anything within the game plan, but the ‘Cats trail by only five. Dan River is shooitng 29 percent for the game and made only 1 of 9 3-point attempts. Dan River has only committed five turnovers.

James River has six assists to seven turnovers, which is a product of the game being slowed down and finding open Knights underneath for easy baskets.

Dan River gets the ball to start the second half.

12:43 p.m. - James River 21, Dan River 16 at the half

The tempo that James River wants is how this game is playing out. The Knights are forcing Dan River into tough shots - the Wildcats are at 7 of 24 from the field for the half - and the Wildcats have settled for too many 3-pointers. Trey Edmunds was the lone spark for Dan River and has nine points and five rebounds.

James River’s starters have played all but one minute of the first half. Jordan Talbott and Patrick Bennett have seven points each and Andrew Tucker has added five. Bennett has six rebounds.

12:33 p.m. - James River 14, Dan River 11 with 5:48 left in the second

Trey Edmunds has taken over, scoring all seven of Dan River’s points in the quarter.

12:30 p.m. - James River 12, Dan River 4 at the end of the first

Dan River shot 2-for-10 from the field in the first quarter, as some layups were not falling. Trey Edmunds and Kevin Eldridge have hit the two field goals for the Wildcats, who are also being manhandled on the boards. Patrick Bennett leads James River with five points.

12:20 p.m. - James River 5, Dan River 0 with 5:05 left in the first

Dan River is having a tough time finding easy shots against James River’s packed-in 2-3 zone. The Wildcats are 0-for-4 from the field. Patrick Bennett has three early points for the Knights.

12:15 p.m. STARTING LINEUPS

James River, which doesn’t have a very deep rotation for its 10-man team, will start Ethan Humphries and John Bennett at the guards. Jordan Talbott and Patrick Bennett occupy the forward positions and Andrew Tucker will man the paint.

Dan River, which will use its bench to its advantage, starts Reggie Stone and Raymond Hairston at the guards. Trey Edmunds, Kevin Eldridge and R.J. Myers start at the forward positions.

12 p.m. TEAMS GETTING WARMED UP

Good afternoon Dan River basketball fans. This is Register & Bee sports reporter Damien Sordelett and I’ll be bringing you live updates from this afternoon’s Group A, Division 2 state semifinal game between the defending Group A, Division 2 state runner-up Dan River Wildcats (14-8) and the James River Knights (26-2) here at the Siegel Center on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond

James River won the Pioneer District regular season and district tournament titles and took home the Region C title. The Knights cruised past Honaker 69-48 in the state quarterfinals at the Salem Civic Center. Patrick Bennett is the top scorer for James River and has scored more than 1,000 points for his career.

Dan River finished third in the shortened Dogwood District regular season and lost to Nelson County in the first round of the Dogwood District tournament. The Wildcats defeated George Mason in Falls Church and then upended Dogwood regular season champion Appomattox in Amherst to claim a spot in the state tournament. Dan River fell in its second consecutive trip to the Region B title game, dropping a 61-49 decision to Buckingham. The Wildcats defeated Essex 48-45 in a thrilling state quarterfinal victory.

The Wildcats are led by point guard Reggie Stone, who averages 11.4 points and 2.9 assists per game. The senior was named honorable mention all-Region B after being named first-team all-Dogwood District.

Keep it right here at GoDanRiver.com for all of this afternoon’s state semfinal game action and be sure to pick up your copy of the Danville Register & Bee on Friday morning.