By Brennon Keys
OF THE COMMERCIAL STAFF
Larry Tate finished the night two rebounds shy of a triple-double Tuesday evening, registering 16 points, 10 steals and eight rebounds in Ridgway Christian’s 60-34 rout of Liberty Academy at Watson Chapel Baptist Church.
The Eagles of Ridgway were flying down the court past the Eagles of Liberty on seemingly every possession, forcing turnover after turnover with quick hands and feet. However, it got increasingly chippy as the game wore on.
“The game was fine,” Ridgway coach Danny Evans Sr. said. “A little bit more physical than we probably would’ve wanted, but nothing special.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We were playing really physical,” Liberty coach Jon McCullough said. “They actually ref’d a good game. I thought they missed a few reaches, but it was pretty even both ways, generally speaking.”
Tate also finished with three assists. Demetrius McCullough scored 14 points for Ridgway in support, along with four steals and three rebounds. Center Blake Pennington’s stats counted down from five points to four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
The game was never in question as Ridgway jumped out to a 24-7 lead to end the first quarter. Liberty looked rattled and became visibly distraught as Tate and friends continued having passes stepped in front of and cherry-picked.
“They have to learn how to keep playing, even through that,” Evans said. “They scored kind of easy in the first half, but they still gotta learn how to keep playing. You can’t just lay your head down. We don’t play like that; you’re supposed to be moving.”
Evans was referencing Warren Wolf, who single-handedly willed Liberty’s comeback attempt coming from a 39-18 halftime deficit. Wolf finished with a game-high 19 points to go with his seven rebounds, five blocks and four steals. He scored 12 of his points in the second half, but had little support from his teammates.
“That was a tough (game),” said McCullough with a chuckle. “It was very, very physical, and I guess good things and bad things, things to work on, (like) passing, staying in control, moving without the ball, and a million stuff.”
The score may have been higher had Tate and his teammates finished more baskets. As the blowout increased and Evans rotated in junior high players in the second half, lapses in concentration became more evident.
“He played OK,” said Evans of Tate’s performance. “Gotta make all his lay-ups. He missed a couple and missed his free throws. He’s a good athlete; he’ll be all right.”