Web posted
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Cold fourth trouble for Bulldogs
|
Photo by David Wolman
click image to enlarge
|
By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor
MAIZE - In a game that featured more turnovers than field goals, it took just two sequences to decide the outcome of Friday night's game.
With the score tied at 23 after three quarters, Tyson Pollard buried a three-pointer from the left corner to open the fourth. On the ensuing possession, with Maize using a full-court press defense, Blake Sturgeon recorded a steal off the press and buried a three-pointer of his own.
And the Eagles never looked back, making 13 of 14 foul shots in the deciding quarter to pick up a 47-40 win over the Bulldogs.
"To start the fourth quarter, we just didn't do a good enough job coming out," Ark City coach Ben Proctor said. "And that was the turning point of the game."
With sloppy play dictating the first three quarters, offense was at a premium - and points came in bunches in the first half.
Both teams combined for just eight points in the first 6 ? minutes of the opening quarter. Kestian Harris and Ryan Rohrs kept Ark City afloat early, each hitting a three-pointer for an early 6-2 lead.
Jordan Fields gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead, 10-2 on a transition layup in the last minute of the first quarter.
Fields finished with seven points, including a layup in the final minute of the first half in which he bounced the ball off the back of Maize's Brett Soft on an inbounds play. Rohrs and Harris each had six - both connecting on two three-pointers.
In the first half, there were spurts when each team traded turnovers and others when they consistently found the basket.
Ark City committed 11 of its 25 turnovers in the first half, while Maize made eight of its 15 turnovers in that span. The 40 combined turnovers significantly outweighed the number of made field goals (24) in the game.
"They're just a very disciplined team," Proctor said of Maize. "They don't make mistakes and that's something we have to learn to do. If we take care of those it's a different game, but we're just not quite sound enough yet with the basketball. Maize is where we need to be (as a team)."
Ark City led for almost the entire first half. But Maize left the Bulldogs feeling down at halftime, finishing the half on a 9-2 run. Trey Ronnebaum gave the Eagles their first lead since scoring the game's opening basket, draining a three-pointer from the left corner for a 20-19 halftime lead.
"It was big," Proctor said of Ronnebaum's three-pointer. "We had played a pretty good first half. To get down there at the very end, it's a bit little deflating. But we came back and played good in the third quarter."
A turnover-riddle third quarter slowed down play. The teams combined for more turnovers (11) than points (9) in the quarter.
John Miller made a layup off a nice pass from Fields for an opportunity at a three-point play. Miller missed the free throw, but the Bulldogs still owned a 24-20 lead.
Ark City's lead would last for only so long - and it was turnovers and foul trouble that caught up to them.
After Fields was called for an offensive foul, Darrell Freeman then was whistled a foul with 42 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Freeman's foul - Ark City's seventh team foul of the second half - put Maize (7-5) in the one-and-one bonus.
"The fouls obviously played a big role," Proctor said. "We got to a point at the end where we had to foul."
And the Eagles took advantage of their opportunities, sinking 15 of their last 16 foul shots.
Ronnebaum finished with a game-high 20 points, including a perfect 12 of 12 at the foul line. Kurtis Schuyler went 4 of 4 at the foul line, finishing with six points.
"I don't know if they're the best shooting team, but they've got a bunch of kids that are just solid, especially when the game is on the line," Proctor said of Maize. "That's a big tribute to them."
After Darrel Sanchez gave Maize its biggest lead, 40-26, on a baseline jumper with 3:34 remaining, the Bulldogs tried to make a game of it late.
Tayler Rock scored eight of his team-high 10 points in the fourth quarter. Freeman heaved a three-pointer from mid-court as the buzzer sounded for the final tally. But it came a few minutes too late.
"It wasn't a bad effort, but a little lapse against a good team like Maize and they'll make you pay," Proctor said.
Ark City 10 9 5 16 -- 40
Maize 5 15 4 23 -- 47
Above: Arkansas City senior Ryan Rohrs, left, works around Darrell Freeman (23) Friday night at Maize.
|
