Chaffee defeats Oak Ridge 55-39

CHAFFEE -- Chaffee senior Jerrod Steger showed early he was pumped up for senior night against Oak Ridge on Friday.

Steger drilled a 3-pointer from the corner 1 minute, 21 seconds into the game, then forced a steal 30 seconds later and cruised in for a layin.

"Jerrod Steger, Jerrod Steger, Jerrod Steger," the Chaffee fans, especially the student section, chanted as they watched the senior put the Red Devils up 7-2.

Steger said he and all the seniors were eager to play.

"Last year the seniors couldn't come out with the win [on senior night]," Steger said. "This year we tried to come out and help our last year seniors win."

Chaffee's Josh Steger bounced a pass around Oak Ridge's Dylan Abbott during the second quarter.

The Chaffee seniors dominated, as the eight combined to score 51 of their team's 55 points, in a 55-39 win over the Blue Jays.

Steger led the Red Devils with 18 points.

Senior Andy Hendrix added 15 points, while senior Adam Horton chipped in 12.

Chaffee (9-10) has won its last three games, with victories over Oak Ridge, Leopold and Zalma.

"Jerrod always contributes a little fire to the team," Horton said, discussing how Steger got the offense started and maintained the intensity throughout. "He's a jokester off the court and fire starter on the court.

"It's senior night. It's the best feeling. It's better than going out with a loss. But we played well and we couldn't ask for more."

Steger's strong shooting at the beginning of the first quarter put the Red Devils ahead 7-2 just 1:54 in the contest. The senior also drove to the basket at the end of the first period to give his team a 14-6 advantage heading into the second.

Hendrix led the Red Devils with six second-quarter points to maintain the lead and enter halftime ahead 30-24, despite the Blue Jays outscoring them in the period 18-16.

The Red Devils opened up their lead in the third quarter, going on an 11-4 run as Horton netted back-to-back 3-pointers during the run.

"We were trying to go inside out," Steger said. "We were trying to get the ball to the post and make the outside open ... so they would have to guard both inside and outside."

Horton, who had four treys in the game, added about his shooting: "My teammates just find a way to get me the ball, and I shoot it and hopefully it goes in."

Steger maintained his strong shooting in the second half. He drove the baseline for a basket during the Red Devils' 11-4 third-quarter run, which got the crowd chanting his name again. He added six points in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

"We value his penetration," Chaffee coach Tyson Moyers said. "He can slash to the basket real well. His 3-point shot has gotten better. ... He does a good job when he lets the game come to him. He means a lot to us, just like all our guys."

Oak Ridge coach Mark Verticchio said his team did not shoot well.

"They played hard, we just didn't shoot the ball," he said. "We're not used to that much contact. It was a very physical game. [Chaffee] has a lot of juniors and seniors, and our leading scorer is a freshman. ... I think we are progressing."

Oak Ridge 6 18 8 7 -- 39

Chaffee 14 16 11 14 -- 55

Oak Ridge (39) -- Dillon Abbott 7, Adam Seabaugh 2, Kaz Lange 2, Dustin Meyr 8, Logan Mangels 2, Garrett Light 8, Brett Thomas 10. FG 17, FT 4-14, F 18 (3-pointers: Abbott 1. Fouled out: none)

Chaffee (55) -- Michael Spies 1, Josh Steger 2, Trenton Horman 3, Taimen Taylor 3, Casey Rhodes 1, Jerrod Steger 18, Adam Horton 12, Andy Hendrix 15. FG 20, FT 9-14, F 18 (3-pointers: Steger 2, Horton 4. Fouled out: none)