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Bristol dream of another district title remains on hold
By DAN HINER
ORWELL
It has been 13 years since Bristol had taken home a district title. Unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait a little longer as the Panthers fell to Cornerstone Christian on Friday night, 68-50, in a Division IV district championship game at Grand Valley High School.
“It’s always disappointing to lose, but like I’ve been telling them, we gave everything we got,” Bristol senior Alex Jones said. “We can’t be not proud of what we did.
“You have to be proud if you give every single thing you have.”
Bristol (23-3) started the game on a 13-0 run, but Cornerstone Christian (13-12) fought its way back with an 11-3 run of its own. The Panthers led 16-11 after the first quarter.
The teams then traded buckets in the second quarter as Bristol’s Tommy Donadio scored seven of his team-high 14 points in the period.
However, the Patriots continued to fight their way back into the game, cutting the Bristol lead to 30-26.
Things changed in the second half when Cornerstone began the third quarter on a 24-8 run. The Patriots tightened up defensively at half court and forced the Panthers into nine eight turnovers, giving Cornerstone a 53-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
“They created a couple turnovers, but more so than that, I don’t think they missed the first five minutes of the third quarter,” Bristol head coach Craig Giesy said. “Just like we made shots early, when you make shots — they made shots tonight — it’s going to be hard to beat anyone.”
Added Jones: “They knocked down some shots. We made some mental mistakes and turned the ball over. Hats off to them. By this stage, every team’s a good team and could beat anyone on any give night.”
Jones, scored seven of his nine points in the fourth quarter, as Bristol tried to lead a late run.
However, Cornerstone Christian didn’t take its foot off the gas and didn’t allow the Panthers to get back into the game.
Cornerstone Christian was led by Brandon McQueen, who scored a game-high 18 points. His teammates Michael Bothwell and Jack Kelsheimer both contributed 17 points.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed that we couldn’t find a way to get this win,” Giesy said. “We came into the game knowing they could shoot the ball — especially Bothwell and [Kelsheimer].
“They were able to get some open looks, and some that weren’t so open, and knock them down. That’s just how it goes. We would have liked to make some more shots in the second half but we didn’t. When it comes down to it, a loss is a loss.”
Giesy added that his seniors are “a special group,” saying that the five on the roster were important to the team’s success over the past two seasons.
Despite the loss, the Bristol seniors are proud of the way the team performed. “We’re not going to hang our heads,” Bristol senior Nate Novicki said. “They just happened to find the hoop more than we did in the second half.”