Red Devils run past South Puget Sound
Sunday, January 27, 2008 5:56 AM PST
By Rick McCorkle
rmccorkle@tdn.com
Printable version
E-mail this articleThere are the WARP-drive wannabes, and there's the Runnin' Red Devils of Lower Columbia College.
The Devils schooled South Puget Sound on the art of high-octane, fast-break basketball as they ran away with a 99-54 victory over the upstart Clippers in NWAACC Western Division men's basketball action at Truman Myklebust Gym on Saturday.
"We had excellent focus and did a great job with the scouting report that coach (Roosevelt) Smith put together," LCC coach Jim Roffler said. "This shows we've taken a step in the maturity department with our ability to be more focused and better prepared. When you go into a game well-prepared and your timing is good, things will go your way."
The sixth-ranked Red Devils, winners of 11 straight and 15 of their last 17 games, finished the first half of league 8-0, 15-5 overall. The setback dropped the Clippers to three games behind LCC at 5-3 in the division.
"I really wanted to finish this game positive and sharp so we could have a good feeling headed into the bye on Wednesday," Roffler said. "We can have a good, upbeat week of practice so we can begin focusing on the second round."
The Clippers came into Saturday's game boasting their ability to put up 100 shots a game, averaging one hoist every seven seconds in their "warp-drive" offense. SPS coach Marc Callero claimed in a story that appeared in the Daily Olympian that his team averages 40 3-point attempts a game in their offense, which is based on the old Loyola-Marymount game plan used by Paul Westhead in the late 1980s.
On Saturday, SPS made 27 percent of its shots (20-of-72), which included 6-of-32 from outside the 3-point arc (18 percent). The first half was embarrassing for the fast-break Clippers, who made 8-of-36 shots (22 percent), including 1-of-15 treys.
After the first 90 seconds, the Red Devils showed the Clippers, along with a near-capacity crowd, what run-and-gun basketball is all about. A dozen minutes into the half, LCC netted 10 unanswered points with five consecutive fast-break runs for a 37-18 lead.
"We didn't have a lot of energy in the first 90 seconds and I had to raise my voice once," Roffler said. "We refocused and regained that energy so we could pull away."
The Clippers managed a layup moments later, but the Devils countered with four more fast-break buckets as they coasted to a 48-24 halftime lead.
"We had two days to prepare for them (the Clippers) because Coach Roffler emphasized how good of a team they were," LCC team captain Robert Edwards said. "He told us what we had to do on defense because they were averaging 88 points per game. We focused on taking away their strengths on defense, along with running our offense."
LCC knocked down 62 percent of its first-half shots (21-of-34) and cooled slightly in the second half with 59 percent shooting (19-of-32). The Devils outrebounded SPS 58-28, but Roffler was most impressed with his team's 31 assists heading into the second half of the league season.
"The second round is a whole different ball game," he said. "You can't run your stuff as well because other teams have played you before and you're better scouted. It becomes a game of instincts, and making the extra pass for 31 assists is critical because other teams will take away the primary looks in the second half."
Every LCC player netted at least four points, with five scoring in double digits. Alex King led all scorers with 20 points and six rebounds, Edwards added 12 points and six rebounds, and Josh Troyer and Elisha Moaning had 11 points apiece.
Ryan Hoff scored 10 points, Michael Hallin missed a double-double with nine points, nine rebounds and five assists, and James Gehring dished five assists and grabbed 11 rebounds. Marice Tolliver handed out six assists and pulled nine rebounds, and Troyer had five assists.
"Things are going in our favor and we have a lot going for us right now," Roffler added. "We have to appreciate the position we've put ourselves in, and we can't do anything to interfere with what lies ahead."
The Red Devils are idle Wednesday. They open the second half of the division schedule with Green River at home Saturday.
Red Devils 99, Clippers 54
SOUTH PUGET SOUND (54) -
Michael Brumsey 17, Chris Scott 11, Nigel Moore 7, Johnny Sarysz 2, Gerad Moser 2, Michael DeRosier 5, Matt Jordan 4, Ramone Johnson 3, Marc Hedden 3.
LOWER COLUMBIA (99) -
Alex King 20, Robert Edwards 12, Josh Troyer 11, Michael Hallin 9, Marice Tolliver 8, Elisha Moaning 11, Ryan Hoff 10, Isaac Jimcoily 7, Chris Coleman 7, James Gehring 4.
Halftime:
LCC 48, SPS 24.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories