West Rusk too much for Alba-Golden boys

Posted 1/6/22

The Alba-Golden Panthers dropped their opening game of the Hawkins High School Holiday Hoops tournament to a talented West Rusk Raider team 56-31.

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West Rusk too much for Alba-Golden boys

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The Alba-Golden Panthers dropped their opening game of the Hawkins High School Holiday Hoops tournament to a talented West Rusk Raider team 56-31.

Running the floor at will, the Raiders dominated the opening period. Employing an effective press, they capitalized on Panther turnovers.

The only bright spot for the Alba-Golden side in that opening period was when junior Gavin Dailey battled a double-team to score with a short jumper in the lane. 

Shortly after the quarter break, Coach Troy Wallace requested a full time out. The Panthers came out of that time out and went into a tactical stall. The stall was designed to draw the defense out of their compact posture around the basket. It worked just as intended. 

After a minute had ticked off the clock, the Raiders moved their defense out to the perimeter. At this juncture, the game began to open up for the Panthers. Alba-Golden outscored the Raiders 12-6 in the remainder of the half. 

Dailey scored again on the inside and issued a nice assist to Brayden Randolph. Alba-Golden hit two 3-pointers to close the gap, and two break-away lay-ins by Gavin Parker made the score 24-15, West Rusk, at the half.

The third quarter was an even contest. Dailey continued his strong inside play, scoring twice including an offensive rebound put-pack. Dylan O’Quinn put up a soft floater from the lane for a beautiful score, and Parker added a 3-pointer. West Rusk chipped in 12 points to make the score 38-25 after three quarters.

The play became loose in the final quarter. The Raiders were able to force consecutive turnovers in the defensive zone which translated to points. West Rusk began to snowbird, and after converting on the breaks, stretched the lead. 

The 25-point margin at the end was not indicative of the competitive nature of the game. Adjustments made by Alba-Golden proved effective and kept them within striking distance for most of the game. Trouble on the defensive boards and an inability to correct habitual errors in the middle of game action plagued the Panthers. 

On the positive side, the team has made great progress thus far this season. Gone is the frantic nature of their early play. In its place is a much more confident, much more disciplined brand of basketball. 

After one final tune-up at Wills Point Jan. 7, Alba-Golden opens district play on Friday, Jan. 14 at home against Cumby at 8 p.m.