Boys Basketball: Rich South finds range against St Laurence

Updated: December 10, 2011 7:36PM

Rich South coach Scot Ritter couldn’t fault the effort Saturday night, just the results. Or maybe the lack of results.

Missing seven point-blank layups off rebounds and tips in the first quarter, the Stars fell behind early, but a persistent rebounding effort ultimately prevailed in a 65-52 win over St. Laurence at the Marist Invitational.

“What’s funny is I’ve been telling the guys to quit tipping,” Ritter said with a laugh. “Grab the ball with two hands and go up strong. It’s just a habit we have to break.”

John Ruffin finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for Rich South (5-2) with Cedric Russell (14 points, eight rebounds) contributing. Ryan Risley and Mike Kornaker had 14 apiece for St. Laurence (3-4) with Jim Schick adding 13.

“(The misses) are tough so you have to play through it,” Ruffin said. “Grab it with two hands and secure it.”

While the Stars were missing at the rim, St. Laurence bombed away, hitting four first-quarter three-pointers to take a 14-6 lead. The rebounding effort continued though for South, and the Stars’ athleticism inside became too much.

A 16-0 run turned the tide for the Stars who went up 22-14. A Risley three-pointer opened the third to cut the lead to seven points at 34-27, but Ruffin answered with a layup at the other end to start an 8-0 run.

“They came out shooting really well so we had to adjust,” Ruffin said. “Jump to the ball and get your hands up.”

After hitting 4-of-7 three-pointers in the first quarter, St. Laurence finished 8-of-22 from long range.

“Our guys had a lot of energy that first quarter,” Laurence coach Mark Sevedge said. “Rich South is long and fast, and their athleticism is hard to overcome.”

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