By BRAYDEN PARNELL Sports Connection
WILSON - The River-crest Colts evened their 3A conference record to 2-2, positioning them in third behind Osceola and New-port-after a 75-53 routing of Walnut Ridge at River-crest on Tuesday night.
Jayden Young was critical to the result, pouring in 35 points. Buddah Harris contributed 15 points.
The Bobcats wasted no time putting the ball through, as a pair of quick baskets put them ahead 4-0. The Colts were able to slow them down and quickly began finding a rhythm. Harris secured a rebound off his own miss, dished it out, and ran be-hind the three-point line. His shot marked an 8-0 run and forced a Walnut Ridge timeout. Harris delivered on a fast break layup and then worked his defender with a turn in the post which resulted in a three point play. Marcus Nunn scored inside, and Harris drew another foul during his make, but was unable to convert the free throw. Harris scored eight during the period, and together he and Young combined for 17 of the Colts’ 21 first-quarter points. Their contributions helped Rivercrest out to a 21-11 lead going into the second quarter.
Walnut Ridge approached the following quarter with a larger lineup, hoping to avoid conceding so many inside shots. This approach helped them to a quick score, as Collin Andrews cleaned the glass and scored to open the quarter. Ellis Thomas buried a shot from deep, and the Bobcats were down just seven points. Just as they were gaining some ground, the Colts began pressuring in the back court and coming up with steals. The fast-break chances led to trips to the free throw line, and all of a sudden the guests’ adjustment was backfiring. During the run, Cavonta Washington dashed through the lane, contorted his body, and somehow managed to finish at the rim while smothered. Jamaris Byrd then struck from behind the arc, forcing another Walnut Ridge timeout with the score now 33-18. After the timeout, Washington went strong to the rim once more, but came down hard and did not return to the game. Walnut Ridge then scored seven unanswered points, bringing the score to 33-25 at half.
Walnut Ridge scored first in the third period but the Colts quickly answered. Young took a rebound and dribbled coast-to-coast to score. The Bobcats pulled closer through the play of guard Jase Blake and center Trevor Augustine. Blake setup Augustine to score, then buried his own three, and found his teammate for a three-point play which he converted. The 10-2 scoring stretch saw the Bobcats close within two at 37-35. Rivercrest responded resolutely. Byrd buried a three-point shot, then Young scored on consecutive possessions before finding his own perimeter shot. Walnut Ridge began to look flustered with multiple turnovers which gave Harris a pair of easy looks. Young looked uncontainable, scoring three straight baskets to end the quarter. He lit the Bobcats up for 19 points in the period. The Colts’ monstrous third quarter gave them a 66-48 lead going into the fourth. The Bobcats did not recover from the damage done in the third quarter. Unable to find much in the opening minutes of the quarter, the large deficit saw both teams pull their starters. Before exiting the game, Young added another two points to his evening. The runaway victory brought the Colts overall record to 9-4. Colts head coach Hunter Robinson was pleased with his team’s attitude and aggression on both sides. “We’ve instilled that in practice everyday. We work on a lot of coverages and make sure we get up and down the line. When you have trouble scoring, it’s your defense that wins games. But, any time you can get a win in a conference game, you’ll take it. So we’ll walk away happy.”
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