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Boys Basketball: John Ruffin propels Rich South past Plainfield North
Updated: November 21, 2011 10:25PM
A sign above the Plainfield North locker room at the Joliet West Thanksgiving Classic read “Tornado Warning Stay In This Room.’’
The weather was fine outside Monday night, but Rich South unleashed a whirlwind in the third quarter of the season opener for both teams, outscoring Plainfield North 20-6 on its way to a 73-51 victory in the first round of the tournament.
“I expected us to play well,’’ Rich South coach Scot Ritter said. “We have a senior-led group. They’re pretty unselfish.’’
Guard Ralph Abraham, one of 10 seniors on the roster, scored 13 straight points in the second half, including a trio of three-pointers, to extend the lead to 50-36 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
John Ruffin led Rich South with 19 points, and Abraham and Marquell Small each had 14 points.
“I thought we played a little quick on offense,’’ Ritter said. “We missed a lot of layups underneath. We missed some defensive assignments early. But once we settled down, we did a better job of keeping them to one shot.’’
Jeremy Bert had a game-high 24 points for Plainfield North, but was held to two baskets in the second half. Freshman Trevor Stumpe had eight points for the Tigers.
“We really emphasized helping out on No. 4 (Bert) when he put the ball on the floor,’’ Ritter said of keeping Bert in check after a 30-all tie at halftime.
Plainfield North coach Nick DiForti pointed to a 19-6 advantage for Rich South in offensive rebounds.
“We got totally outrebounded,’’ DiForti said. “They maintained their level of intensity the whole game and we stopped playing with intensity. You give up second and third chances to score, you’re going to lose the lead.’’
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