In the first meeting between the Rising Sun and Elkton boys basketball teams, Tigers' senior Kevin Alkinburg said the Tigers were "really caught with our pants down". Wednesday night, Rising Sun made sure they weren't exposed again. The Tigers celebrated Senior Night with a 61-56 triumph over the Elks.
Back on January 17, Elkton used a trapping defense to force 15 first quarter turnovers and build a 22-3 lead on the way to a 71-54 triumph. "The last game [against Elkton], we came out terrible," Rising Sun coach Don Passenant said. "They pressed us and we threw the ball away. But in the second half we had cut their lead down to eight points by the fourth quarter because [the Rising Sun players] figured out the press. And that was a big issue. They know how to break it down and they're much better at it." The second time around, and with seniors Kevin Alkinburg, Brennan Martz, Jordan Edwards, Kyle Andersen, and Kohl Ford in the starting lineup, the Tigers started stronger. Alkinburg scored six points in the first quarter and the seldom-used Ford added five. It was tied at 13. "Kohl Ford did a wonderful job cutting to the basket," said Alkinburg. "Jordan did a great job handling the ball. Brennan, as always, everywhere on the floor. Kyle getting rebounds, playing 'D'. The seniors did absolutely phenomenal. I think that's one of the biggest reasons we got that 'W' was starting off that quick with the seniors. So then when we put in everyone else it was full speed ahead." Trailing 29-26 at halftime, the Tigers took control i the third quarter. With the score tied at 35, Brennan Martz scored a basket and then converted a three-point play. After an Elkton bucket, the Tigers' Curtis Cox scored on a putback and Bryce Brown buried a three-pointer to raise Rising Sun's lead to 45-37. The Tigers were ahead 45-38 entering the fourth quarter and the Elks never cut it below three. Up 49-46, Alkinburg scored off a Martz pass. After Elkton answered, Noah Juergens scored, later added a free throw, and then hit another basket to make it 56-48 with 2:31 to go. A putback by Jake Keane with 1:48 left gave the Tigers a 58-48 lead. The Tigers are 5-13 overall with all five wins coming at home "We've got great fans," Passenant said. "I don't know what it is. Must be atmosphere. They just get pumped up. It was Senior Night and the seniors came out there and played great…This game was for the seniors. And we were definitely playing for the seniors and that resulted in a win. Great job by everyone involved." Said Alkinburg: "We've lost some tough games on the road, but I think at home we shoot better, our team's all together, we've got the crowd. I think our heads are screwed on so much tighter. Our passes are crisper. We get more assists. I fell like that's the biggest difference. We play more together." Royce Ruffin paced Elkton with a game-high 27 points and Kyair Cook added 13. Nine different Rising Sun players scored led by 12 each by Alkinburg and Will Farrington. Juergens finished with 10 and Curtis Cox contributed eight. "That's the type of offense we try to run," Passenant said. "We don't have any superstars. We have a group of good players, who when they're executing, anybody can score. In the three years I coached JV we never had somebody average double figures. So I believe in balance. If we have an 8-foot guy come in then it will be kind of different…Right now, the balance is important for our team." Rising Sun has defeated Elkton each of the last two seasons. "It's wonderful," Alkinburg said. "I know the last game we went in there and really were caught with our pants down. And now on our Senior Night [to win] is wonderful. I think Rising Sun is going in the right direction. Having a win against Perryville, a win against Tech, a win against Elkton. Wins against tougher teams and we got that win against Tech last year and that win against Elkton, I think Rising Sun in the future is going in the right direction." Comments are closed.
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