Their Sunday Best: Royals team earns win over Red River
It was a perfect end to a busy three-day stretch of games for the Lake Region State College men and women's basketball teams.
Article by Harry Lipsea, Devils Lake Journal Sports, November 14th, 2016.
It was a perfect end to a busy three-day stretch of games for the Lake Region State College men and women's basketball teams. After both squads split in their first two games at the Holiday Inn Classic, the Royals capped off the home event with convincing victories over Red River Community College out of Winnipeg, Canada.
The common link between the two games was that both Lake Region State College teams used big stretches in the second half to run away from its opponents. A 27-3 run was huge in the Royal women's 105-39 victory. Meanwhile, a number of important stretches led the LRSC men to a 104-64 triumph.
"Overall, I thought it was a good game for us. It was a great opportunity to get everyone minutes and help us with confidence," Royal women's head coach Danny Mertens told the Journal.
The final game of the Holiday Inn Classic was also good for the men's team. LRSC head men's coach Jared Marshall was impressed with his team's performance in the second half.
"That extra energy in the second half was huge for us. It was the third game in three days and an early afternoon game, so you know it's never going to be perfect. I loved the energy and enthusiasm our guys played with as the game went on. It was a good victory," he pointed out.
After a pretty competitive first half of basketball in the men's basketball game, Lake Region State College completely took control early in the second against Red River. Tough defense, added energy and 13 points by freshman Cedric Boone in a short period of time were keys to success for the Royals.
Leading by 10 after 20 minutes of play, the Royals used hot outside shooting by Boone to get going in the opening minutes of the second half. A three by the Minnesota native gave the home team momentum. Ben Rennie came up with the steal and the bucket to give LRSC an 11-point advantage.
Then, it was time for Boone to take over. The perimeter player nailed back-to-back threes before adding a layup and a jumper to make the score 66-47 in favor of the Royals with 14:45 remaining in the game.
Lake Region State College kept it going. Jarrett Baptiste added a pair of free throws while Same Riley hit a jumper to give the squad a 21-point advantage. Red River tried to hang tough as Taylor Brown and Kyle Qieijo made three-point shots.
LRSC, however, never gave up control. Layups by Jordan Bolton, a jumper of the glass by James Streeter and a three made the score 83-56. A couple of key stops led to even more Royal buckets as Joh Lund hit a three and Bolton added back-to-back buckets giving the team a 95-58 advantage.
Jayson Edwards and Streeter each came up with baskets to help close out the 104-64 victory for LRSC.
It was a balanced scoring effort for the Royals as five players finished in double figures.
Cedric Boone had a game-high 23 points for LRSC. Bolton chipped in with 21 points of his own. Edwards finished with 13 points while Baptiste and Streeter each added 10 points. Rennie had six points while Nic Fassos and Sam Riley each finished with five. Derrick Laudenbach scored four points with Aaron Boone and Lund chipped in with three points apiece. Drew Thielges rounded out the scoring with a point.
Streeter, a 6-foot-10 freshman, led the team in rebounding with nine while Harvey Barr added eight.
The difference in the team's second half performance was a change in tempo and the importance of making key stops.
"I told the guys that we just needed to get out and run. I believe we are at our best when we get in transition," Marshall, who is in his second year as head coach, pointed out.
"We also challenged the team to make stops in that second half. Our guys really responded."
After going 2-1 in the Holiday Inn Classic, the Royals now sit at 5-1 after six contests. Marshall is happy with his team's performance.
"It's never easy to win college basketball games. After six games, so far, so good," he told the Journal. "I'm pleased with how we have performed so far. We have a talented team, now the important part is going to be keep coming together as a unit."
The Royals host the Mayville State University JV Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
After seven games to kick off the season at home, LRSC then hits the road for the first time. The Royals played Miles Community College Friday and the University of Montana Western JV Saturday.
"I'm looking to see how our guys can stick together and play together. It will be interesting to see how we handle the ups-and-downs of road games," Marshall said. "We will try to use our depth to our advantage."