Red Bank coach Nick Fike finally found a big enough wall to put his players backs against to get the very best out of his Lions basketball squad.
In a do-or-die game for the second night in a row, the sixth-seeded Lions rose to the challenge with a blistering first-half start to knock off third-seeded Central in District 6-AA action, 71-59.
Red Bank earned a berth in the region tournament with the win and will play No. 2 Signal Mountain on Saturday in a 4 p.m. game at Howard.
“I told the kids before the game that potential has a shelf life and our potential wasn’t ready to be put on the shelf. I think I could make a case that we are playing our best at the right time. All year long, though, this team has had a ton of potential and they always seem to play their best when their back was against the wall,” said Fike after the win.
“We didn’t always win those games but we battled at our best when we were down. It’s win or go home now, and I’m just thrilled with the fact we’re moving on to the region now,’ Fike added.
Central coach Rick Rogers was equally as impressed with the play of his counterpart. The Pounders had beaten the Lions twice in the regular season, but each game got more competitive and last night finally flipped in the other direction.
“I think that’s the best I’ve seen them play. Even our kids after the game were talking about how well they played. They rode the momentum from last night and carried into that first half. Nick does a great job for them and the players are reaping the reward at the right time. We got whipped in that first half and it was just too much for us to overcome,” said Rogers.
The Lions rode an outstanding start from Torey Sewell, who canned two 3’s and had 10 first-quarter points as Red Bank bolted to a 19-6 lead that swelled to an 18-point margin at the break. Central made a strong showing in the second half, getting it down to single digits as Brett Abshire heated it up for the Pounders, but Red Bank held strong in the end.
Fike went with a bigger starting lineup and got a lot of production from his two big men: Ivan Young and Jamel Davis.
“Central has such great length and size I just felt like we needed that boost, and our bigs came through. We knew they were a good team and they would make a run, but we countered it. When you’re not used to winning, you need to face that adversity and we did, and we played good basketball tonight,” Fike said.
Young and Davis combined for 12 second-half points, Young finishing with 12 total and Davis 10 on the night. Young also had double digit rebounds. Sewell, who has missed time with injury this season, seems to be back at full speed and led the Lions with 20 and Mike Porter chipped in another 12.
The Pounders got 15 from Abshire, all in the second half while Davon Reid added 13 and Trey Owten 10.
Red Bank 19 21 15 16 -- 71
Central 6 16 22 15 -- 59
RED BANK (71) – Ross 1, Brown 7, Eddins 1, Porter 12, Ellis, Sewell 20, Jackson 3, Young 10, Jones, Gilbert, Thomas 5, Bell, Davis 12.
CENTRAL (59) – Morgan, Owten 10, Reid 13, McKibbens 1, Payne 6, Ervin 7, Abshire 15, Isom 2, Hayes, Bibbs 2, Jackson 3.
3-point goals: Red Bank 6 (Porter 2, Sewell 2, Jackson, Thomas); Central 3 (Abshire 3)
(Contact James Beach via email at 1134james@gmail.com or Twitter @beachnut1134)