Thursday, December 29, 2005
Rayen made just 10 of 43 attempts in the 55-30 defeat.
By JIM FLICK
Vindicator Correspondent
NILES -- Led by junior Justin Allen's 21 points and a stifling defense Wednesday, the Niles High basketball team crushed Rayen, 55-30.
Allen scored the first basket of the game, giving Niles (4-3) a lead the team never relinquished.
At the end of the first quarter, the Red Dragons led by a 12-6 margin. Niles upped the bulge to 29-16 at halftime and 39-21 at the end of three quarters.
"They scored no easy baskets, Niles coach Ron Price said. "We didn't give them layups."
Breakdown
Allen scored 13 points in the first half. For the game, he sank nine field goals, including three 3-pointers, and snagged three rebounds.
William Frech contributed 13 points, a point more than he averaged while leading Niles in scoring over the team's first six games.
Six other players contributed to Niles' offensive efforts. As a team, Niles shot 43 percent from the field. From long range, the Red Dragons sank seven 3-pointers compared to just two for Rayen.
In addition to the score, Niles also defeated Rayen in the battle for rebounds by a 29-27 margin. Niles sophomore Larry Sussman, who stands 6-feet-4-inches tall, grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Red Dragons.
Rayen (1-6) had problems scoring points all night. After the six-point first quarter, the Tigers scored only 10 points in the second stanza -- which turned out to be the team's high-water mark for the night.
Rayen scored just five points in the third quarter and nine in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Tigers sank just 10 out of 43 shots, just 23 percent success from the field.
Junior Tomaz Hilton came off the bench to lead the Tigers in scoring with six points while snagging six rebounds.
Another reserve, senior Troy Rice, led the game with eight rebounds while recording three steals and scoring three points.
Starters Justin Queener, Bre Boudrey and Gary Thornton scored five points each for Rayen.
Price praised his team's tenacious efforts at limiting Rayen's offense, and was cheered to learn that his squad out-rebounded Rayen.
"We played strong half-court defense," Price said. "Our goal is to strengthen our game. We're making progress, but we're not there yet."