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Senior led 4th quarter run tip scales in Riverside’s favor
Friday March 5, 2010
We had a feeling that Millbrook was going to look to exploit their advantage in the frontcourt by establishing Donzell Hill and Tyrrel Tate early. The Wildcats came out and did just that, as Hill came out with a fierce 10 points and 4 rebounds in the opening quarter.
The Wildcats had no problem with the Riverside zone as coach Scott McInnes’ inserted Danny Mizerk in the starting lineup for outside shooting. Millbrook outrebounded Riverside 17 to 9 in the opening half, as it was Hill and Tate leading the offensive charge as expected. Hill had 12 points and 6 rebounds in the opening half, while Tate put in 9 points.
As impressive as the frontcourt players were for Millbrook, Riverside’s backcourt was equally eye catching. The Pirates remained close with the three-pointer. Jarod Belvin came off the bench to connect on back to back treys, while Sean Deniton and Tim Raven each hit one. The Pirates trailed 32-28 at halftime.
In the 3rd, Riverside opened with consecutive turnovers behind shaky ball handling, but still managed to tie the game up midway thru the period. However, Millbrook regained control with a 7-2 run to close the quarter. The Wildcats led 41-36 going into the final stanza.
For the better part of the 2nd half there is no better way to describe the Wildcats than flat out cold. Millbrook went away from Hill who finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds and decided to fire away from the perimeter. The problem was, they were not connecting. Millbrook shot 29% in the 2nd half, missing 9 of 10 three-pointers and hitting only 50% from the free throw line.
While the Wildcats shot themselves in the foot, the Pirates gained steam in the 4th behind their seniors. Coach Tim Ross sat sophomore TJ Warren early in the 4th and the veterans delivered. In a three minute span David Mayer, Sean Deniton, Tim Raven, and Jarod Belvin combined for a 12-2 run.
Now down, Millbrook went to a fullcourt press that was effective, but ran out of time and were forced to foul. With late buckets and free throws from Warren, the Pirates finished off the Wildcats, 58-50. Riverside faces undefeated Terry Sanford Saturday at 5pm.
The balanced Riverside attack was led by Warren, who finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Guard Tim Raven had an impact with 9 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Sean Deniton finished with 12 points, Jarod Belvin had 10 points, and David Mayer contributed 9 points.
Kerry Smith
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