Sivertson’s 17 rebounds helps IWA advance in state tourney
Published 9:48 pm Tuesday, February 26, 2013
By ANDREW FAISON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
andrew.faison@yahoo.com
IWA senior Austin Rodgers jumps up for a layup. — ANDREW FAISON/Tidewater News
ISLE OF WIGHT—Isle of Wight senior Nathan Siverston’s 17 rebounds led to the Chargers’ 52-47 defeat over Greenbrier Christian in the first round of the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III State Tournament on Tuesday.
The No. 7-ranked Chargers will travel to No. 2 Amelia Academy for the state quarterfinals at 7 p.m. today, Feb. 27.
“(Siverston) got some crucial rebounds for us,” said IWA Coach Benjamin Vaughan. “We also got some crucial stops and foul shots when we needed them at the end of the game.”
Siverston also led the Chargers with 23 points; seniors Austin Rodgers and R.J. Wells added 8 points apiece.
“We depend on Nathan to do a lot for us, in particular what he did for us in the second half,” Vaughan said.
The Isle of Wight boys qualified for the game after finishing seventh in the state polls with a record of 20-8. Greenbrier was ranked 10th.
Junior Klayton Inman led the Gators with 27 points and nine rebounds.
“Inman from Greenbrier is an extremely talented ball player,” Vaughan said. “He hurt us the whole game, but we were able to close him off late in the game and that was key for us.”
IWA was the first on the board. After winning the jump ball, senior Rainer Marfio charged the lane for a two-point layup for the Chargers. IWA was forced to call a timeout with 4:45 left in the first quarter as Greenbrier went on a six-point run.
With 4:05 to go in the second, IWA took its second lead of the night as Wells hit a three-pointer giving the Chargers a 21-18 advantage. A four-point run by Inman gave the Gators a 22-21 lead with under a minute to go. Siverston gave IWA a 23-22 advantage at halftime after he hit a layup with six seconds left in the half.
The Chargers led 39-38 at the end of the third quarter.
With 6:39 left in the game, the Gators took a 41-39 lead when Will Coggins hit a three-pointer. Greenbrier extended its lead to four when Trey Jones drove the lane for a two-pointer.
IWA closed the gap to within one with 5:15 left as senior Hunter Tripplett made a layup. With 4:40 left, Wells hit a two-pointer, making the score and capitalizing on a turnover after Inman was called for traveling. Sophomore Casey Williams extended the lead to 46-43 with less than four minutes to go.
As for today’s game. . .
“It’s going to be a very tough match up for us,” Vaughan said. “They have five guys that are 6-foot-5 or better, with three extremely talented guards.”
