Grimsley vs. Page Men's Basketball Recap

High school rivalry games, it doesn’t get much better than that. Grimsley-Page games however take it to a whole new level. These two high schools are two of the oldest in the state and both have a long-standing tradition of excellence in sports. Last night the Grimsley Whirlies and the Page Pirates battled it out on the hardcourt in front of a very large and intense crowd. The old gym was packed in anticipation of a great game, as the last time these two teams played the Pirates won in double overtime. This time however, the crowd was left disappointed. From the opening tip you could tell it was going to be a rough night for the Whirlies. The game began with Page winning the tip, setting up their offense and then nailing a three from the corner before the Whirlie defense had even realized what happened. On the ensuing possession the Whirlies turned the ball over and Page got an easy fast break layup to go up 5-0. Much of the first half went like this with the Whirlies unable to even set up their offense, while it seemed all but impossible for the Pirates to even miss a shot. As it turned out the first half ended with the Page Pirates leading the Grimsley Whirlies 39-9 in dominant fashion. The Whirlies attempted to mount a comeback in the second half led by their senior captain John Puryear, whom in the third quarter hit three consecutive three pointers, however it was to no avail. After pulling to within 19 late in the third quarter the Pirates again proved to be too dominant on this particular night for their arch-rivals the Whirlies. After the game junior Grimsley forward Will Finch said “Thank you to all the fans who came out and supported us tonight. Sorry y’all had to witness that.” The Whirlie players were certainly disappointed in their performance but they will have a chance to make up for it this Friday as they take on the Dudley Panthers.