Herder boys rally to beat Newcastle, fall to No. 1 Douglas in weekend home games

Looking to gain some much-needed momentum heading into the heart of the 3A Northeast Conference schedule, the Glenrock High School boys basketball team had two chances at victory in a rare homestand over the weekend. The Herders had to settle for a split decision as they rallied from behind to beat Newcastle Friday before coming up short against top-ranked Douglas Saturday at The Rock.

GLENROCK 55, NEWCASTLE 48
The Herders appeared to be on their way to a blowout after leading Newcastle through the first three quarters, however, the Dogies fought to take the lead in the fourth, only to see the Herders storm back in the final minutes for a 55-48 come-from-behind win.
After leading by a game-high 14 points in the second period, Newcastle spent half the game battling back and eventually took a 39-38 lead with 4:52 left in the game.
That was just enough time for Glenrock to regroup. NHS built a five-point lead at 43-38 when the momentum was stolen.
Glenrock junior Mason O’Brien kicked off the rally with a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to 43-40. GHS continued to press defensively.
GHS junior Charlie Schowengerdt made it a one-point game when he scored to make it 43-42 with 3:11 left to play. Newcastle snapped the run with a layup. GHS senior Logan Jones buried his first three pointer of the game to tie the score at 45-45 with 2:47 remaining.
The tenacious Glenrock defense held NHS scoreless on four straight possessions. That domination paved the way to victory as the Herders reclaimed the lead on two free throws by Jones to make it 47-45.
After a steal by sophomore Casey Sarvey, Jones swished another three pointer to put the team in from 50-45. Sarvey soon scored after he stole the ball again which completed the rally and the win.
It was far less dramatic earlier in the game. In fact, Glenrock’s aggressive defense only allowed one basket in the first period. While the defense did its job, the shooters took care of business at the other end of the floor. 
Sophomore Ayden Moulton scored the first three points, Schowengerdt hit his first bucket and Sarvey nailed a three pointer to give GHS a quick 9-0 lead.
The only thing to stop the Herders was the clock. Schowengerdt scored two more times while junior Gavin Zeiger and Moulton scored the last four points to give Glenrock a 16-2 after one period.
That was the biggest lead of the game. The scoring slowed down as GHS missed seven straight shots at one point and scored a game-low five points in the second stanza.
The lack of points allowed Newcastle to make it a game. The Dogies scored 12 of the next 14 points to make it a two possession contest. The Herders scored late to protect their lead. Zeiger scored all five points - a three pointer and two free throws - to keep Glenrock ahead at halftime 21-14.
Schowengerdt scored the first four points of the third period. However, GHS went cold after that and the Dogies got within one point at 28-27.

DOUGLAS 74, GLENROCK 36
The Bearcats proved why they are top ranked with stellar play at both ends of the floor. They scored the first nine points of the game until Sarvey ended the run with his team’s first basket to make it 9-2.
Sarvey also had two early steals to give his team a chance. However, Douglas allowed no second-chance points early. Jones and Schowengerdt scored to close the deficit to five at 11-7. That’s when Douglas unleashed its lethal shooting touch. The group scored nine straight points before Jones connected to end the first period with DHS in front 21-9.
The Bearcats didn’t cool off between quarters. They scored nine of the first 11 points of the second period to take control of the game. Glenrock made a late push thanks to a three pointer by Sarvey and a traditional three-point via Jones before Douglas went into halftime with a 40-17 advantage.