Afton – Chuckey-Doak’s boys celebrated Senior Night in style Tuesday, rolling past Happy Valley 63-38. The victory not only gave the seniors a memorable sendoff, but also kept the Black Knights’ hopes of securing the No. 3 seed in the upcoming conference tournament alive.
“I thought it was a tale of two halves,” said Coach Sam Broyles. “We had too many turnovers in the first half and let them hang around, but I thought we played well defensively and shot it better in the second half.”
Both teams scored five points in the first two minutes of the opening period before defensive pressure on both ends disrupted any offensive rhythm.
Ben Palazzo opened the scoring with a strong inside move to give Chuckey-Doak an early edge, but Zach Rose answered to tie the game for Happy Valley. Gavin Crum knocked down a three-pointer to put the Black Knights back in front, only to see Grady Gould respond and knot the score at 5-5 with 6:35 remaining in the first quarter.
Ryland Grindstaff gave Chuckey-Doak the lead for good at the 2:55 mark of the opening period with a layup. Thirty seconds later, Crum came up with a steal, converted the transition bucket, and added one of two free throws to stretch the advantage to 10-5. The lead grew to 13-7 by the end of the first quarter.
Grindstaff took control in the second quarter, outscoring Happy Valley 10-7 by himself to push the Knights to a 23-14 halftime lead. He finished the night with 12 points.
Offensive struggles continued in the third period, but Chuckey-Doak extended its lead by outscoring the Warriors 11-5. The Knights managed just four field goals in the quarter, while Happy Valley was limited to one.
Holding a 34-19 lead entering the fourth — and with Grindstaff and Crum battling foul trouble — Chuckey-Doak turned to Knox McAmis to spark the offense. McAmis delivered, pouring in nine of his game-high 13 points in the final period as the Black Knights erupted for 29 fourth-quarter points, many coming off turnovers forced by their defensive pressure.
“Funny that we scored almost as many in the fourth as we did in the first three,” Broyles joked while looking ahead to the final stretch of conference play. “We’ll have to play better against South Greene and not give them any extra possessions, but I expect these boys will.”
Chuckey-Doak travels to Washburn on Thursday before returning home Friday to close out conference play against South Greene in an inter-county showdown. Both teams enter with identical 5-4 conference records, and the winner will secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming District 1-AA Tournament.
Chuckey Doak (63) – Knox McAmis (13), Ryland Grindstaff (12), Gavin Crum (9), Hudson Cox (8), Ben Palazzo (8), Mason Henderson (4), Dom Atchison (3), Jake Broyles (2), Cobe Love (2), Logan Malone (2)
Happy Valley (38) – Lane Parker (9), Jackson Grindstaff (7), Stephen McVey (5), Mason Townsend (5), Zach Rose (5), Grady Gould (5), Jace Winegar (2)
