MBASK: Bears fight off Rams for first win, 48-47
shoot over Joaquin's Patrick Sandifer during Monday nights'
nondistrict contest in Ram Gymnasium. Young scored nine
points in his season debut, a 48-47 win over Joaquin. (Photo
by John Krueger)
JOAQUIN -- Lorenzo Young made his return to the Timpson lineup Monday night and he led the Bears to their first victory of the season, a hard-fought 48-47 win over Joaquin here at Ram Gymnasium.
Young presented more than just a scoring boost as he dropped in nine points and bolstered the Bear attack at both ends of the court.
"We're a completely different team with Lorenzo on the floor," said Timpson Head Coach Cody Anthony. "He's a good scorer, he helps our offense run smoother and he also helps our defense. We looked like a much better team tonight than we had been.
"We still have a long way to go and we're still making a lot of mistakes, but it was good to see us put it together and get the win tonight. Joaquin really got after us and deserves a lot of credit. I think both of these teams are going to get a lot better as the season goes on."
Young, who missed the first four games of the season after suffering from a concussion in the Bears' final football game, scored nine points, with seven of them coming in the second half after Timpson (1-4) trailed 21-18.
Timpson's Jaylin Rhodes led all scorers with 23 points, while Rody Paige threw in 11, Warren Gray added four and John Jacobs scored one point.
Wyatt Hairgrove had the hot hand for the Rams (0-2), dropping in 19 points, while Cody Runnels added 14, Hayden Ferguson and P.J. Peterson each pitched in four, Za Cooper scored three, Gage Belrose scored two and Tra Rogers chipped in one point.
"We're still rusty and have a long way to go," Joaquin Head Coach Brian Gandy said later. "We have spurts where we play well, but we're still turning the ball over way too much. I hope as we get more practice and more games under our belt we can become a better polished team.
Hairgrove created most of the offense for Joaquin in the opening stanza, canning a pair of 3-pointers from 'downtown' while scoring eight points and dishing out an assist. He helped the Rams overcome 10 turnovers in the period as they were within 11-10 of Timpson after the first eight minutes.
Rhodes led the Bear attack in the first eight minutes, scoring seven points on a 3-pointer and a pair of layups on fast break opportunities. Page added the other four points on close-range shots.
Runnels dropped in four points for the Rams in the second period as he helped them forge a 21-18 lead at the half. Four different Timpson players scored in the quarter.
Timpson, which committed 17 turnovers for the contest, only had three in the third quarter, but the Rams (30 turnovers) went to the line 10 times, making five, and was able to hold a 33-31 advantage going into the fourth quarter. Gray, Young and Paige each hit field goals in the first three minutes for Timpson to give the Bears a 24-21 advantage, but Joaquin scored five straight points to regain the lead, 26-24.
Joaquin stretched the lead to 31-26 as the Rams completed a 10-2 run, but the Bears trimmed the advantage to two points heading into the final stanza.
Young scored three of the first five points in the fourth quarter for Timpson as he helped the Bears to a 36-33 lead, but the Rams scored 11 of the next 13 points of the game to retake the lead 44-38.
Despite Timpson only turning the ball over three times in the quarter, the Rams offense looked even more sharp with Runnels dropping in a pair of layups and a free throw to one of the buckets. Hairgrove, who struggled at the line in the early going, canned four straight from the charity stripe during the run.
But the Bears wouldn't go away, fighting back to a 47-47 tie with 46.2 seconds remaining on a free throw by Paige, after Rhodes made a pair of free throws and added a 3-pointer and converted an offensive board.
Rhodes made 1-of-2 free throws with 23.9 seconds on the clock to put THS up by one, 48-47. Hairgrove had a chance to put the Rams back on top with 17 seconds left, but his shot in the lane wouldn't fall. But the Rams got a break on the play when they got the offensive board. But a subsequent shot wouldn't go in.
A Timpson player then grabbed the rebound, but traveled, giving Joaquin one last chance to get the victory. But Peterson's 9-footer just before the buzzer rimmed out, preserving the win for the Bears.