Bishop, Somero fuel Blue Ridge playoff comeback over Pendleton

Paul Bishop stepped up for the Tigers in the first half vs. Pendleton, pouring in 16 points to keep the game close. Blue Ridge took over in the second half to seal the win.

Down 33-25 to Pendleton at the break, Nash Somero went through his usual halftime routine.

Somero’s pattern is simple. He doesn’t go through layup lines. He passes on putting up practice shots.

In reality, Somero chooses not to do anything at all.

Blue Ridge’s star point guard simply sits on the bench, breathes in heavy, and thinks deep. Every single game—with a Gatorade bottle in hand—that’s Somero’s routine.

On this particular night, Somero thought about his first-half performance. He wasn’t happy.

Somero was 2-9 from the field with just six points. His normally-reliable jump shot wasn’t falling. Somero was getting good looks all over the floor—the ball just didn’t want to go in the basket, so it seemed.

Potential reality began setting in.

“I was sitting on the bench, thinking to myself ‘Man, this might be it for me. This could be my last game,’” said Somero, a senior. “I didn’t want it to end right there.”

Blue Ridge small forward Paul Bishop saw Somero sitting alone and in thought. Bishop had the majority of the Tigers’ first-half offense with 16 points. He walked over to the team’s senior leader and spoke to him, lifting his spirits.

“I sat down with Nash and told him, straight up, that I had so much trust in him,” said Bishop. “I told him he was going to go win this game for us.”

Bishop’s words must have worked.

Somero came out firing in the second half, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter. He finished with 22 second-half points and helped lead Blue Ridge to a 65-55 first-round playoff win over Pendleton.

“I just started being more aggressive and attacking the rim in the second half,” said Somero. “Once I saw that first one go in, I started feeling comfortable again.”

Somero finished with 28 in the win. Bishop didn’t do so bad himself, either, collecting 25 points.

“When Paul’s making his shots, it takes a ton of attention off of me from the defense,” said Somero. “It’s great.”

“Paul plays a lot bigger than he really is,” said Blue Ridge head coach Richie Stevens. “He stepped up, in the first half especially, when we really needed him.”

With No. 1 seed Clinton being upset by No. 4 seed Southside just minutes after the Tigers’ game ended, No. 2 seed Blue Ridge will get another home game as a result.

Southside will travel to The Ridge on Feb. 16, as a Tigers vs. Tigers matchup will decide who goes to the Class 3-A upper state semifinals.

“When we got the No. 2 seed, we didn’t think we’d get the chance to host two playoff rounds,” said Stevens. “But we got some help with Clinton losing. We’re excited to be back in front of our home fans and hopefully keep this run going.”

Editor’s Note: Blue Ridge kept its run going with a 54-39 win over Southside on Feb. 16.

Somero and Bishop led the way in that game, too, with the pair combining for 41 of the Tigers’ 54 points.

Somero had 22 points while Bishop scored 19.

The Tigers will travel to Wren on Feb. 21 for a chance to earn a berth in the upper state championship.