Saturday Continental High’s third quarter comeback was not enough to defeat visiting Ayersville in a non league battle. The Pirates opened up the scoring as Nolan Cordes hit a 3, spotting the Pirates to an early lead. A trio of inside baskets put the Pilots up 6-3. The Pirates rallied to take a 8-6 with a Tyson Clementz basket and another 3 by Cordes. Pirates 8-6. A Pilot basket tied the game at 8. Monty Rayle put the Pirates back up by 2, 10-8. The Pilots converted a 3 point play to take a 11-10 lead after 1. The Pilots continued to go inside with success and put in the first 6 points of the second to take a 17-10 lead. Clementz put in a basket to cut the lead to 5 17-12. The teams traded baskets with Clementz converting for the Pirates. Pilots 19-14. A Pilot basket was followed by a pair of Rayle free throws. Pilots 21-16. Two more baskets by the Pilots left the score 25-16 at half. Pilot Center Dane Elwers put in 21 of the Pilots 25 points in the first half.
The second half saw the Pirates come out of the locker room with a plan and took the third quarter holding Elwers scoreless. The third started with the Pilots hitting a free throw to expand their lead to 10, 26-15. The Pirates would make it a 4 point game by stringing together a basket and pair of free throws by Collin Hammond and a pair of free throws by Rayle. Pilots 26-22. A basket by the Pilots was followed by a Hammond basket. Pilots 28-24. A three by the Pilots and a Clementz basket left the score 31-26 Pilots after 3. The Pilots opened up the fourth scoring with a pair of baskets to expand their lead to 9, 35-26. A 3 by Rayle made it Pilots 35-29. A Pilot basket and a Cordes basket made it 37-31 Pilots. A pair of Pilot baskets pushed their lead to 10 41-31. A 3 by Rayle was followed by a 3 point play by the Pilots. Pilots 44-34. A 3 by Cordes cut the Pilot lead to 7, 44-37. The Pilots would finish the game going 3-4 from the foul line while the Pirates would get a Rayle basket. Pilots 47-39 final
Monty Rayle led the Pirates with 14 points, Nolan Cordes picked up 11 points. Tyson Clementz scored 8, Collin Hammond added 6. The Pirates had a 5-1 advantage from 3 point land as Cordes hit 3 and Rayle made 2. The two teams combined to hit 14-16 from the foul line with the Pirates going 6-6. Continental falls to 3-8 and will travel to Miller City on Friday Night for a Putnam County League game. Ayersville improves to 6-4.
–Mike Jones, Sportswriter
