HS BASKETBALL: Heath gives Forest City a lift in upset of No. 10 Blue Ridge

Jan. 17—FOREST CITY — DJ Heath corralled a loose ball and spiked it to the floor as the final second ticked off the clock and the buzzer sounded.

It seemed fitting he set off the celebration.

Forest City's cagey guard made the plays on offense and defense down the stretch to help lift his team to an emotionally charged, 60-58 win over No. 10 Blue Ridge on Tuesday night at the Julius Prezelski Gymnasium.

The Foresters moved into a tie for first place in the Lackawanna Division IV standings with a 4-0 record (6-6 overall) as they handed Blue Ridge its first loss in the league (9-2, 4-1). Montrose is also at 4-0 in the circuit (6-7 overall).

"This is huge," said Heath, who scored 23 points, had seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. "We knew that the gym was going to be packed, and we knew this would be a great game to win. We also knew it would be tough for them to play here with all of these fans packed in here.

"We just had to win."

Forest City used a series of quick, striking runs that erased Blue Ridge's leads and kept it in control of the game's pace.

None was bigger, however, than the Foresters' 13-4 run over the final 6 minutes, which turned a deficit into a 55-48 lead with 1:40 remaining.

During the outburst, the Foresters dialed up intense ball pressure, forced turnovers, made layups in transition and seized the momentum. Heath scored six points.

"We just needed to settle down and run our sets," Heath said. "If we ran our sets, we knew that we could stay in the game."

Davon Reams energized the Foresters with a pair of fast-break baskets that came off steals from Collin Bailer and Heath.

"They were a fast team, so those were big for a momentum shift to get down the court and score," Reams said. "If you want to beat physical teams, you have to match their physicality, and that is what we tried to do on the defensive end."

Forest City forced six turnovers in the fourth quarter and pushed the lead to 57-50 with 54.2 seconds to play on a pair of free throws by Heath.

Blue Ridge, however, had one last push in it as well.

Connor Cranage, who led the Raiders with 17 points, ignited a spark with a pair of free throws, and JJ Rosa banked in a layup off a nifty pass in traffic from Cranage.

With 29 seconds remaining, Bailer made one of two free throws, and Rosa scored again in the paint to cut the deficit to 58-56. Heath answered with a pair of free throws, but Dylan Bradley scored to make it 60-58.

Following a timeout, Blue Ridge forced a turnover with 3 seconds left. Cranage received a pass, pivoted, and squared up, but his shot caromed off the rim. Heath collected the rebound to preserve the win.

"I thought it was good how we fought back, but we relied too much on the jump shot," said Blue Ridge coach Wes Parks, whose team made 5 of 23 from beyond the 3-point line. "I wish we would have attacked the rim a little more. It's a tough place to play and a tough place to shoot. Second year in a row, they got us here."

Blue Ridge looked ready to race past Forest City with a 16-6 start. Cranage had four points, Carson Gallagher drilled two of his five 3-pointers, Bradley had four points and Ryan Scott scored.

Forest City, fueled by that sold-out gymnasium, scored the final 11 points of the quarter for a 17-16 lead. Dylan Bezek, who finished with 11 points, led the charge with four points. Bailer had a 3-pointer, Heath had a driving layup and Max Urbas came off the bench and added some muscle in the paint with a layup.

The teams traded momentum in the second, with a Cranage 3-pointer giving Blue Ridge a 23-21 lead. Heath responded with a steal and layup, Gallagher swished a 3-pointer and Heath brought the Foresters within 26-25 at the half.

Brayden Piatak scored to tie the game at 28-28 with 5:58 left in the third. Gallagher and Cranage hit the Foresters with four straight points, only to see Heath score and Bezek convert a three-point play for a 35-32 lead.

Gallagher, who finished with 14 points, tied the game with another long 3-pointer. Forest City came right back with a 6-0 run that featured baskets from Reams, Urbas, and Heath. Then, Blue Ridge closed with a 5-0 answer that kept it in front 40-39.

In the frantic fourth, Heath set the tone with his only 3-pointer. He also made 6 of 8 free throws to help stem the tide as his teammates went 4 of 10 from the free-throw line in the fourth.

"Those were big," Heath said. "I mean, it was a two-point game. We struggled a little in the fourth, but making free throws wins you games."

Forest City's defense carried it the rest of the way as Bailer had three of his five steals, Urbas had two steals, and Bezek, Reams and Brad Bartholomay blocked shots.

"It is all about pressing the ball," Bailer said. "You have to have a high motor and keep going no matter what. I like to read the eyes like a safety in football. I anticipate where the ball is going and try to get there first.

"That was big for us."

Forest City 60, Blue Ridge 58

Blue Ridge (9-2, 4-1) — C. Cranage 7 2-2 17, C. Gallagher 5 0-0 14, D. Bradley 4 2-3 10, J. Rosa 5 0-0 10, J. Barbour 1 1-4 3, R. Scott 1 0-0 2, D. Rutter 1 0-1 2, M. Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 5-10 58.

Forest City (6-6, 4-0) — D. Heath 8 6-8 23, D. Bezek 4 3-5 11, M. Urbas 4 0-1 8, C. Bailer 2 3-6 8, D. Reams 3 0-0 6, B. Piatak 2 0-0 4, B. Bartholomay 0 0-0 0, J. Conlogue 0 0-0 0. Totals: 23 12-20 60.

Blue Ridge 16 10 14 18 — 58

Forest City 17 8 14 21 — 60

3-point goals: C. Gallagher (BR) 4, C. Cranage (BR), C. Bailer (FC), D. Heath (FC). JV: Forest City, 48-36 (FC: Conalogue 16, BR: Bishop 13).

Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter