On the ledger the Middletown High School boys basketball team came away from its two-day stint at the Hubs Holiday Classic empty handed thanks to two close losses in as many days.

Returning to the court less than 24 hours after dropping a one-point game to host North Hagerstown, the Knights once again came up short, dropping a hard-fought 46-41 contest to South Hagerstown Wednesday afternoon.

“We learned a lot from these last two games,” Knights junior guard Zach Fontenot said. “We learned what we need to do down the stretch and what we need to work on in these situations.”

Down 36-32 with 5 minutes and 30 seconds remaining, the Knights began to make their move, as a 3-pointer from Connor Mills pulled Middletown within 36-35. Stealing the ball just shy of half court, Michael Pritts drove for a layup and a 37-36 advantage with just about four minutes remaining.

Pritts drew an offensive foul on South's next possession to take back the ball. Back on offense, Ethan Winn drove the lane and hit a wide-open Fontenot for an uncontested jumper and 39-36 lead.

Middletown's lead extended to 41-37 with 1:55 remaining thanks to a Lewis layup. The Knights would be shutout the rest of the way.

“They're two good teams,” Middletown coach Aaron White said of North and South Hagerstown. “Both are athletic and we can use them to prepare for Gov. Thomas Johnson and Tuscarora, who are our first two games after the break.”

South pulled ahead on a Carlton Davis runner in the paint. Xavier Freeman put back an errant shot to go up 44-41 with 4.9 seconds remaining. Middletown took the ball and called timeout with 3.2 seconds remaining.

Intercepting the inbounds, Devonte Morel threw down a dunk at the buzzer to seal the win.

Fontenot had 13 points to lead Middletown. Jack Panther had eight while Mills added seven. Devon King led all scorers with 16. Freeman and Davis had 11 and 10 respectively.

The Rebels' length and depth presented a problem for the Knights and resulted in a major disparity in free throws. South made 14 trips to the line and hit 10 foul shots. Middletown was only 1 of 2 with Pritts making the lone attempt.

“They're big and something that's hard to defend,” White said.

Only three weeks has passed since the Knights began practicing with their full complement of players; a quarter of the team missed the first two weeks of training due to Middletown's state championship football team. The Knights are a work in progress.

“They're still experiencing a different soreness and those type of things,” White said. “They're getting there. The skill, the shooting and the touch will be the last things to come. We'll work through it. They're doing a great job.”

tmcelwee@gazette.net