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BRISTOLVILLE -- Quaran-tines. Protocols. Shutdowns.
The toughest challenge the Bristol Panthers and Lordstown Red Devils have faced this season has been staying on the court. The two teams have combined to play 15 total games, while other schools in the area have played more than 15 games themselves.
Yet, each team has had its share of success. The Devils visited Bristol on Tuesday and after a tight first half, the Panthers pulled away for a 57-40 victory.
"We played the first two weeks and then we got shut down," Bristol coach Craig Giesy said. "We haven't practiced since Jan. 15. We came in this morning at 6. We got in a shootaround. Just to get a ball in their hands before we played.
"We made sure we subbed a ton tonight. I knew legs were going to be an issue. The first half, we were out of sorts. We were sped up mentally and with the ball offensively."
Lordstown came in off of a big 38-36 victory over Girard on Monday. The Devils took advantage of Bristol's early mistakes and built a 14-9 lead after one quarter. Aiden Force (who finished with a team-high 19 points) hit the first of his five shots from behind the 3-point line, and Seth Stevens had a nice take to help build the early advantage.
"I'm very proud of our kids' effort," Lordstown coach Brian Force said. "It was about energy. Bristol does a great job of bringing that energy and attacking the offensive boards. We've been playing with six guys all year. We should be getting a senior back this week in Vincent Spano.
"It was a big win over Girard. They're a Division II team. It was a physical contest, and it was tight all the way through. In the second half tonight, we didn't have our legs. We have to get used to playing back-to-backs. That's what we have on our schedule the rest of the way. So, these kids are going to have to find a way to finish."
Lordstown struggled to find the bottom of the net in the second quarter as Bristol (6-2) took the lead. Aiden Force finally got the Devils on the board by nailing another one from downtown with 2:30 left in the first half.
Jake Erjavec went 5 of 6 from the free-throw line in the quarter to help the Panthers take a 21-19 lead into the locker room.
Anthony Dakini started the third with a lay-up for Bristol. Nick Church (game-high 20 points) went to work scoring inside the paint.
Then Jay Frank made one from long distance for Lordstown, but Bristol went on a big run to take a 42-27 lead to the fourth quarter.
"We didn't make any crazy adjustments at halftime," Giesy said. "We just had a conversation about how that wasn't the way that we play basketball. Our guys did a great job in the second half of staying composed. They took what was there, didn't try to force too much and played fundamental basketball."
The Panthers certainly did.
Church continued to control the game as the fourth quarter began. Garrett Roach drilled a 3-pointer from the corner. Zach Burns made a good hustle play to keep a possession alive for Bristol, and Mikey Burbach (10 points) scored down low as the Panthers closed it out.
Each team has the Badger Braves next up on the schedule. The Panthers travel to Kinsman tonight, while Lordstown (4-3) will host the Braves on Friday.
"We're only seven games in," coach Force said. "After being off a month, coming back, then being off again, I hope we figure it out and continue to get our legs back. We need to finish these games because we've been in all of them."