Red Devils top Titans in NWAACC opener
Friday, February 29, 2008 5:30 AM PST
By Rick McCorkle
rmccorkle@tdn.com
Printable version
E-mail this articleKENNEWICK - Jim Roffler admits his Lower Columbia College Red Devils didn't play their finest game in the opening round of the NWAACC Men's Basketball Championships on Thursday night at the Toyota Center.
But it was still a victory as the fourth-ranked Red Devils stretched a three-point halftime lead to double digits midway through the second half for a 74-61 victory over the Lane Titans.
The Red Devils (22-6) face Yakima Valley in a quarterfinal game at 6 tonight.
"When has the first game of a tournament ever been pretty?" Roffler asked. "You have to come out, get the butterflies out and stretch things out. We've hardly practiced all week because of illnesses. We had six players healthy on Monday and Tuesday, and had a half-hour walk-through on Wednesday morning in preparation for this game."
Despite the lack of prep work, the Devils led wire-to-wire against the Titans from Eugene. The first half resembled a fast-paced track meet, but neither team appeared to be playing in control. LCC forced Lane into 10 first-half miscues, but the Devils were also guilty of seven gaffes.
Point guard Marice Tolliver led the Devils with 18 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots. Robert Edwards added 12 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Alex King added 10 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
A highlight-reel moment came midway through the first half when the Titans' Kyle Winkler intercepted a pass from Ryan Hoff at midcourt and drove for a layup. But as Winkler went for his seemingly uncontested shot, it was swatted into the first row of the Toyota Center by Elisha Moaning, who sprinted the length of the floor to check the shot.
Moaning also had an above-the-rim moment in the second half when he slammed an alley-oop lob pass from Edwards to give the Devils a 52-42 lead with 11:15 left.
But the Titans refused to go away. They cut the Devils' lead to 59-51 following a 3-ball from Jake Wiles with 7:40 remaining. LCC countered with eight consecutive points, including three-point plays from Edwards and Tolliver, for a 67-51 advantage.
Tolliver's layup and subsequent free throw with 5:25 left was the last made bucket by the Devils, who made seven free throws the rest of the way. LCC's defense came up huge during the span, allowing the Titans three shots (including a 3-pointer) and three free throws.
"We grew up a lot in the second half by coming together as a team," Roffler said. "Why try and win by 20 when it can backfire and the game could go into overtime. We played to win and played the clock with each possession, instead of flying up and down the floor."
The Devils hit 64 percent of their second-half shots (16-of-25), compared to netting 31 percent in the opening 20 minutes. LCC's defense held Lane to 38 percent for the game (23-of-60).
LCC outrebounded Lane 47-35, with Isaac Jimcoily and Michael Hallin pulling seven apiece.
"We're trying to get back the same mentality we had during our 17-game winning streak," Roffler added. "We have a chance to win (today) and go to the final four for the fourth time in five years."
Red Devils 74, Titans 61
LANE (61) -
Brent Jones 11, Kyle Winkler 7, Justin Hartford 6, Chris Myers 0, Devon Richardson 0, Dominique Watson 19, Travon Mouton 10, Jake Wiles 5, Aric Wright 3, Cody Britton 0, Stephen Christensen 0.
LOWER COLUMBIA (74) -
Marice Tolliver 18, Robert Edwards 12, Alex King 10, Isaac Jimcoily 5, Josh Troyer 3, Michael Hallin 9, Elisha Moaning 6, James Gehring 6, Ryan Hoff 5, Chris Coleman 0.
Halftime:
LCC 31, Lane 28.
Past Month's Most Commented Stories