PREP BKB: Charleston turns up heat, roasts Cedarville in 3A-4 romp

Basketball / Getty Images
Basketball / Getty Images


CEDARVILLE -- The Charleston Tigers have emerged from a three-day weather-forced break with a renewed focus.

Charleston rolled to its second mercy-rule win in as many nights, both on the road, scoring three-straight quarters of at least 20 points on Friday for a 74-43 win at Cedarville in 3A-4 play.

Charleston (9-3, 9-1) won at Danville on Thursday, 68-28, before Friday's win.

"We kind of lost our intensity after the first seven games," Charleston coach B.J. Ross said. "We hit the wall that you normally hit. I think the snow and the weather really helped us. They needed a little bit of a break."

Both wins were via the Arkansas Activities Association Sportsmanship Rule with the continuously running clock with a 30-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Friday, Charleston jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first six minutes with all five starters scoring.

Drake Dodson started with a driving bucket just 24 seconds after the tip, Reese Merechka hit a free throw, Brevyn Ketter scored consecutive buckets, Sebastian Gaona scored inside, Ketter converted a fast-break layup after a steal by Merechka, and Brandon Scott capped the game-opening spurt with a spinning jumper inside.

The Tigers finished the quarter with a 20-7 lead with Scott driving for a bucket and Dodson converting a conventional three-point play to end the quarter.

Charleston added 20 more points in the second quarter and took a 40-22 lead at the half before putting up 22 points in the third quarter for a 62-36 cushion

"It was a great way to start," Ross said. "We did the same thing (Thursday). Three 20-point quarters was a great way to keep going."

Charleston hit 57 percent from the floor, on the road, through three quarters.

"That's really incredible," Ross said. "We did a good job of getting the shots that we talked about and we worked on. We tried to get higher percentage shots because we've taken some bad ones this year. They've done a great job in practice, and they're a good bunch. They'll listen and they'll work hard."

Scott scored 27 points with 18 in the first half. Ketter added 13 points and eight rebounds with seven points in the third quarter, including the first two buckets of the second half and a 3-pointer late in the quarter. Dodson had 14 points.

"We're very balanced, and we've got a real good one," Ross said. "Brandon's unselfish, and we've got kids that can score from different angles from different areas."

Hayden Morton scored 17 points for Cedarville (11-12, 8-4) with nine in the second quarter. Lane Hightower added 10, including a pair of fourth-quarter 3-pointers.

"Defensively, Reese Merechka guarded Morton, who's a really good scorer, and Sebastian Gaona guarded Hightower," Ross said. "They got all up in them and didn't give them any space. Then the other three helped when they had to, but that was a key."


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