Stingy defense pays off big

At first it seemed as if the Richland Thunderducks had it all -- more cheerleaders, fan support, and even taller players; however, the North Lake Blazers’ clutch shooting helped them fight off the Thunderducks‘ second-half comeback attempt.

On Feb. 5, the two rivals played in the Blazers’ backyard at Neil Johnston Gym. Richland won the tip-off at 2 p.m. By 4 p.m., North Lake had won the game 85-80.

“Richland is our big rival. With that win, we’ve won the last four out of five games. Our defense was great, and when you’re 20 points down you can’t afford mistakes,” said Dan Joutras, athletic director.

Richland ended the game’s two-minute drought by going on a 5-0 run. The Blazers answered with a 17-4 run of their own to command a 17-9 lead with 13:21 left in the first-half. After a few minutes of exchanging baskets, the Blazers’ zone defense proved to be too much for Richland’s offensive scheme. North Lake’s defense helped them attain leads as big as 17 points in the early going.

Richland’s coaching staff had its hands full trying to break Coach Tim McGraw’s stingy defensive strategy. Committing fewer turnovers is one thing, but learning how to stop the Blazers’ starting guards, Aaron Smith and Kenneth Cage, is another. The two players combined for 55 points and six steals.

“Smith and Cage had a great performance,” Joutras said. The Blazers led at halftime 45-32.

“We’re rebounding well, and the pressure by our defense is causing turnovers,” McGraw said, when asked about the team’s first-half performance.

The Blazers’ 10-2 run to open the second-half left them with a 55-34 lead. Fast-break opportunities paved Richland’s way back into the game. Richland went on a 20-7 stretch to cut North Lake’s lead down to 62-54 with 13 minutes left in the game.

“We were too relaxed on ‘D’,” Cage said after the game, referring to defense. “Once you build a lead you should keep it, but we hit some last minute free throws that helped us win the game.”

Right before being pushed out of bounds, Smith caught the ball and shot up a prayer from beyond the arc as time ran out on the shot clock. Smith made the difficult shot and sent the crowd into chaos. Smith finished the game with 32 points, including eight out of 10 from 3-point territory.

Once the Blazers were up 81-72, they allowed Richland to score eight unanswered points. Along the way, North Lake committed a costly turnover with 1:24 left in the game. The Blazers turned the ball over 19 times throughout the game. However, because of defensive contributions from guards Cage and Rajshad Anderson in particular, they were able to win despite being outscored 48-40 by Richland in the second-half.

Cage contributed with 23 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Anderson helped the Blazers’ triple threat by adding 10 points and 4 assists, including two 3-pointers of his own. The win moved the Blazers to 16-9 on the season. North Lake plays Richland again on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. in Guadalupe Hall -- Richland’s gym.

At press time Friday, the Blazers are in first place in the Metro Athletic Conference.