West Beats East in the Tournament ... Matthew scores 3!

Feb 19, 2008
Falcons put away East

By Jeremy Darnell
Times-News Staff Writer

EAST FLAT ROCK -- The boys nightcap provided some drama early, but No. 3 West Henderson dominated the boards and pulled away for a 62-41 win over No. 6 East Henderson."It was a solid win and I knew East would come out and give us a great shot because they are a well-coached team," said West coach Rob Bliss. "One of our emphases was trying to take advantage inside tonight and I though we did a real nice job getting on the glass."The Falcons (13-12) outrebounded East 36-19 overall and 17-3 in the fourth quarter."They beat us to death on the boards, which is always a concern for us," said East coach John Johnston. "If we shoot well we are competitive, if not then we have a tough time."Chase Hill's 3 cut the West lead to 23-19 with 3:24 left in the first half but the Falcons reeled off a 10-point run and took a 14-point lead into the break.The lead grew to 19 after a Zach Corliss trey and Dallas Ducote jumper, but East's defense responded and held the Falcons scoreless over the next 6:20.The Eagles (5-18) trimmed the lead to 38-28, but Chris Staggs ended West's futility with a three-point play with 59.6 left in the third."We cut it to ten and then we had four straight turnovers," Johnston said. "Then they come down and get that three-point play to kill the momentum."We had opportunities, but when you work that hard to get it back to a manageable score, you gotta take advantage of those chances."Colby Thelen's put back pushed the lead to 14 and West never looked back."The highlight of the night for us was our young kids went in there and kind of rejuvenated us and rebuilt the lead for us."There was a scary moment with 1:54 left in the first quarter. A ball riccocheted off of a West player and cut the nearest referee's lip, spewing blood onto the court. The referee was treated by a team trainer and continued after a short break.Mike James led the Falcons with 12 points. Ducote added 11 points and nine rebounds, Daniel Hyatt chipped in with 11 points and seven boards and Corliss scored eight and dished out 10 assists.Hill finishhed with 13 to lead East. Michael Robinson added 10.West will face the No. 2 seed Smoky Mountain at 5:30 on Wednesday. The loss concludes East's season.

Summaries

EAST (41) -- Dorn, Hill 13, Roberts 6, Robinson 10, Whiteside 9, Ford 3, McClure.WEST (62) -- Roberts 3, Thelen 2, James 12, Troutman, Corliss 8, Barbour, Staggs, Thomas 2, Hutchinson 8, Ducote 11, Hyatt 11, Williams.Halftime: West, 33-19.