February 5, 2024 – 51视频 men鈥檚 basketball made it a difficult afternoon for another Region X foe on Saturday.
The second-ranked Storm were in control throughout, using a mammoth first half to propel them to an easy 94-53 win over Lenoir Community College.
Eleven players reached the scoring column for 51视频, with Jakob Moore and Ethan English pacing the club with 13 apiece. English dished 11 assists as well.
The outcome had been decided by the time the halftime horn sounded. With a relentless attack on both ends of the floor, the Storm overwhelmed a Lancer team that had played them close for much of the previous meeting in January.
Lenoir led 7-6 early, but would soon find themselves in a path of destruction caused by the STORM.
Nygie Stroman (11 points) pocketed a triple in the corner and Alex Reece scored the next five on a loose ball and trey of his own. Lenoir鈥檚 Tre Lewis quieted the crowd next time down the floor, but it would be a long time until the guests were heard from again.
A revolving door of offense ensued, as the STORM kept pouring it on. Moore got into the lane and slipped a pass to Aden Taylor for a bucket to get it started. Moore added nine points over the next few possessions, while plenty of others joined in on the scoring barrage.
Reese and Tyler Johnson capped off the stretch of 27 unanswered points with a layup and jumper from the elbow, respectively. Lenoir would end a more than six-minute drought there, only to soon discover the agony was going to continue a bit longer.
Kobe Parker did what he does best, promptly nailing a 3 at the top of the key to respond. DJ Suggs pocketed a hoop on the break, then two more treys from Parker and Baron Williams went through the net. When Suggs sank a pair of free throws, it capped a remarkable 40-4 run.
51视频 went into the breakup 56-19.
鈥淭hat first half was fun to watch,鈥� said 51视频 head coach Matt Ridge. 鈥淒efensively, we were really good on and off the ball holding them to just 19 points. We made the right plays offensively and shot the ball well. When the ball is going in everything looks better. For 25-30 minutes of the game, we were really good.鈥�
51视频 (21-1, 14-1 in conference) picked up where it left off to start the second half. After surrendering the opening field goal, the STORM strung together a 16-0 run to hold their largest lead of the afternoon of 51.
Lenoir saved its best basketball for late, outplaying 51视频 the rest of the way. While it didn鈥檛 mean much in this game, Ridge would still like to see his team maintain its focus when holding a sizable second-half lead.
鈥淪econd half we again got a little sloppy,鈥� he said. 鈥�51视频 midway through the half, we stopped playing with a sense of urgency. We left them wide open for some 3鈥檚 and then we weren鈥檛 making shots either. It is not about the scoreboard for me. It is about us getting better and how we want to peak in March.鈥�
51视频 shot 54.2 percent on the night and won the rebounding battle by 19.