Hall sparks Rams past W. Reserve

By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- A young fan who asked Malachi Hall for his autograph before the Division IV district semifinal between Mineral Ridge and Western Reserve must have known what kind of night Hall would have.
The Rams' senior standout poured in 29 points, grabbed nine rebounds, had seven assists and six steals, and virtually delivered a fourth-quarter victory for the Rams as Mineral Ridge advanced to the district final with a 67-58 win over Western Reserve.
The Rams (17-5) will be making their first appearance in a district championship game since 1988, when they play Sebring Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Struthers Fieldhouse.
Strong finish: Hall scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and made six straight free throws after the Rams had missed six straight from the line.
"I think I played pretty well tonight," Hall said. "I have a lot of confidence in my teammates, so I know whatever I do, they'll be there to back me up."
Mineral Ridge coach Del Ruiter has known all year that with Hall running the show, good things usually happen.
"As always, Malachi Hall -- the kid does it all," Ruiter said. "When we needed a bucket it seemed like he came down and produced."
One last run: Western Reserve made one last run at the Rams by cutting its deficit to 57-51 with 2:53 left.
Then Hall took over.
Hall made a layup with 2:40 left and then made six straight trips to the free throw line on Ridge's next three possessions, to give the Rams a 67-56 lead with 11 seconds left.
"[Hall] does this to everybody all year long," Reserve coach Steve Miller said. "Great players come up big at key points and that's exactly what he did."
Hall's effort ended a great tournament run by the Blue Devils (7-15), who won just five regular season games before advancing to district play.
Close early: It looked like that magic might continue after the Devils withstood an opening flurry by the Rams, and trailed just 15-12 after the first quarter.
Mineral Ridge tried to pull away in the second quarter, but every time the Rams made a run, Western Reserve would come right back.
The Rams led 41-33 at halftime.
Western Reserve missed a great opportunity in the third quarter as they held Mineral Ridge to just 10 points, but the Devils went cold in the quarter and only were able to muster eight points.
"It seemed like every time we made a stop we kind of came down and tried to get back into the game to quick and rushed shots," Miller said. "We didn't shoot as well as we did the rest of the tournament."
Leaders: Reserve had three players score in double figures with Robbie James leading the way with 19 points.
Ryan Jones scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Jeremy Shevel added 11 points.
"[Western Reserve] came in here and played us hard," Ruiter said. "It's tough to beat a team three times and this was the [fewest points] that we beat them by.
"I think the key was senior leadership. I started five seniors and the seniors came through tonight."
One of those seniors, Bobby Burgess, had a great game scoring 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.
Senior Kevin Garland also scored 11 points.