Rams leave no doubt in AAC Tournament opener

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Points ahead... Ted O’boute of Bluefield drives to the hoop during a game earlier this season. The Rams defeated Montreat in the the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at the Dome Gymnasium. File photo by Eric DiNovo

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February 22, 2012

By JONATHAN GREENE Bluefield Daily Telegraph The Bluefield Daily Telegraph Wed Feb 22, 2012, 05:00 AM EST

BLUEFIELD, Va. — In the postseason, teams can get ahead of themselves and look to their next opponent instead of focusing on the task at hand.

The Bluefield Rams did not fall victim to looking ahead as they took care of business in their Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament opener defeating Montreat 93-58 on Tuesday night at the Dome Gymnasium.

“You have to get the first one, because without it, there is no second or third one,” Bluefield head coach Richard Morgan said. “To get the first one, that’s what our goal was. Now, we’ll focus on the next one and try to get that one.

“Now, it’s one and done. I told the guys before we have to dig in and get the first one to get to the second one. Now, we’ve done that.”

The Rams (18-14) limited Montreat’s typically potent three-point attack to 1-of-15 shooting as they turned a 21-15 lead midway through the first into a nearly 40-point rout down the stretch.

“At this level of college basketball, we’re more worried about what we do than what teams do against us” Montreat head coach Lincoln Walters said. “It’s not like we want to make adjustments for what Bluefield does and I’m sure [Coach Morgan] doesn’t for what we do. That being the case, when your team plays well, we’re okay in the conference.

“Bluefield played well and we didn’t. Going into the game, we’re fourth in the country in 3-point field goal percentage and we’re 1-for-15 for the night. When you go in and expect to hit those shots, it is what it is.”

All five starters for Bluefield finished in double figures while just two Cavaliers (12-17) finished with more than 10 points.

Kearsten Marion and Byron Carpenter led the Rams’ attack. Marion had 24 points and five steals while Carpenter had 18 points before fouling out.

“We have to go inside, out,” Morgan said. “That’s how we have to play every night. We have one of the best big men in the league if not the best. I think [Byron’s] showing that every night.”

Montreat won the tip, but the Cavaliers’ couldn’t convert which allowed Carpenter to score the game’s first basket. The Cavaliers would tie the game at two and four before Marion hit the first of his four three’s to give the Rams the lead for good.

Montreat cut the deficit to two points, 15-13, after a drive and free throw by Tyler Buff with just over 13 minutes left in the first. A O’Boute putback and steal by Marion made it six points as the Cavaliers would get no closer.

Christian Tonkins led a short Cavaliers’ rally with three straight baskets before Marion ended the run with a drive to the hoop. Borgia M’Bala added a runner as Bluefield went on an 11-2 run to end the half which gave the Rams a 42-25 lead.

“Bluefield’s a good team,” Walters said. “When you put together a team that’s playing well and then a team that didn’t play well, that’s the score you get.”

Montreat had several chances early in the second half, but they struggled from the floor and the foul line. As their misses began to add up, Bluefield started to pull away. Back-to-back three’s from M’Bala and Marion made it 52-31 five minutes in.

“I think what we did was we got stops,” said Morgan on being able to pull away. “We got stops, got steals. We converted on the steals, converted on the stops. I think that was the difference in the game and I think that was the difference for our guys as far as getting ready to go to the next level.”

Montreat attempted to make a comeback, but every time the Cavaliers got any momentum, the Rams had an answer in Marion and Carpenter. The lead would grow to as many as 39 points down the stretch as both teams went to their benches.

“Very important. I told our starters it’s up to ya’ll to get these guys some playing time,” Morgan said of getting everyone in. “They deserve it. They work your butt off every day in practice. It’s your job to get them some time.”

LaBris Adams led Montreat with 12 points while Tonkin added 10 off the bench. The Cavaliers shot a solid 42.3 percent from the floor despite making only one three pointer. They were however just 13 of 29 from the foul line and had 24 turnovers.

Borgia M’Bala added 13 points while Andrew Wilson and Ted O’Boute each had 10 points for the Rams. O’boute also grabbed eight boards. In total, 10 players scored for Bluefield.

The Rams travel to Reinhardt Thursday for the AAC semifinal. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Eagles (17-11) knocked off Milligan (10-17), 63-54, on Tuesday night.

“We got to get there and play hard,” Morgan said. “We have to be focused and we know they’re tough and they’ll be ready to go. We have to defend. I think we’ll do that. We’ll let the chips fall where they may.”

— Contact Jonathan Greene

at jgreene@bdtonline.com

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Rams leave no doubt in AAC Tournament opener

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