R.O. boys complete regular season; can’t break winless streak
ATLANTIC – The Tigers were excited for the return of senior guard Cody Walford from an ailing hamstring, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Atlantic Trojans Tuesday, losing 64-47.
The Tiger boys fell behind early as the Trojan front outscored Red Oak 20-9 in the first quarter.
Dakota White led the Tiger scorers, earning 12 of his 14 points from behind the three-point arc. The Tigers shot six of 19 from three-point land while only shooting 16 of 44 from the field.
“The two things that hurt us was we couldn’t keep their guards out of the lane,” Red Oak Boys’ Basketball Head Coach Brad Schlieman said. “Our offense didn’t look that bad from the second quarter on, but we were just down too much to start off to catch up.”
As a result of the Trojans’ guardplay, Red Oak’s inside defenders were forced to help slow down the guards, resulting in Atlantic’s center Jordan Holmes and small forward Chet Meneely combining for 31 points and 13 rebounds.
The Tigers also fell into early foul trouble with Tanner Johnson and Josh Kasubick both picking up two fouls early in the first quarter.
After giving up 38 points in the first half, Red Oak held the Trojans to only 26 points in the second, scoring 13 each quarter.
The loss was Red Oak’s eighth consecutive loss, with their last win over Clarinda, Jan. 19.
In his return, Walford scored 12 points for the Tigers, shooting six of seven from the free throw line.
“I’ve been happy with the way we’ve been practicing and even how we did today,” Schlieman said. “I think if we can just get some stops, I think we can put some things together and play really well.”
The Tigers traveled to Kuemper to finish their regular season.
Red Oak was not muc of a match for the Knights, losing their ninth straight, 80-44.
In the first round of the district tournament, the Tigers traveled to Stuart to face West Central Valley in hopes of keeping their season alive in the playoffs.
Results from Monday night’s game can be found online at www.RedOakExpress.com.