Red Raiders back to .500 after strong home win
By Kyle Corrazza, Staff Writer, The Times
Senior Dre Boggs pulls up in the first quarter of Saturday’s Coatesville-West Chester Rustin game. Early in the game, Coatesville struggled to move the ball quickly enough to create many open shots.
CALN –In sports, and maybe life, it’s not how you start, but how you finish that tells the tale.
Physical conditioning enabled Coatesville’s boys basketball team to dominate later parts of the game in its 80-61 victory at home against Bayard Rustin, Saturday.
In the opening quarter, Rustin drove the ball hard, allowing them to draw contact and make free throws. Coatesville, on the other hand, had little success with their drives into the paint and struggled to pass the ball quickly enough to open up jump shots, allowing the Knights to lead 18-16 after the first quarter.
But immediately after the break, Coatesville took the lead. Junior center Tyler Burke received a pass under the basket, made his layup, and drew a foul. Though he failed to convert from the line, senior Emmett Hunt grabbed the rebound, scored, and drew a foul of his own, which he converted to give the Red Raiders five points in one possession.
Though Coatesville looked the better side as the second quarter went on, some key offensive rebounds by Rustin meant the two teams exchanged the lead with the Red Raiders eventually leading 38-36 going into halftime.
Coatesville Senior Emmett Hunt hits a jump shot in the middle of the defense. The Red Raiders’ athleticism allowed them to penetrate the defense.
The third quarter saw quicker ball movement from Coatesville. Combined with their clear speed advantage, the Red Raiders opened up their lead a bit more. While they still had much room for improvement, Burke’s defensive rebounding gave Rustin fewer second chances, and his team led 55-47 and the end of the third quarter.
Coatesville would only opening up the gap from there. Between the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, a 12-2 run allowed them to put the game out of reach.
Early in the fourth, Burke grabbed a rebound under his own net and passed to senior Howard Sellars, who was sprinting near half court. With the defense unable to keep up, Sellars lobbed a pass to senior Dre Boggs, who laid it in for an alley oop. The basket put Coatesville up 16, and the game was never close after that.
Now 5-5, Coatesville will look to continue their three-game win streak Tuesday night at home against West Chester East.
