Sierra High’s boys basketball team struggled to convert shots taken inside the 3-point arc Tuesday against visiting Ripon.
But from long-range, the Timberwolves were automatic.
Despite getting zero points from its best player, 6-foot-5 center Will Ward, Sierra garnered its fifth straight non-league win convincingly, 72-54.
“I guess that’s a good sign,” said Sierra coach Scott Thomason, whose team has had to rely heavily on their post players for consistent production while the guards have struggled with streakiness.
Eddie Andrade buried seven 3-pointers — all in the first half — and led all players with 27 points, splashing down perimeter bombs from every angle.
Sierra’s first eight field goals in the contest were 3’s, and 12 of its 14 first-half field goals were from beyond the arc.
Andrade’s trey from the right corner with 5.5 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Timberwolves (5-2) a 21-4 advantage heading into the second.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Andrade said. “I just got on a little hot streak and my teammates kept finding me.”
It turned out to be contagious for the Timberwolves.
Sophomore guard Guillermo Nunez sank three 3’s in the first quarter with Andrade hitting the rest. Nunez finished with 15 points, six steals and four assists.
Edy Guzman also nailed three 3’s and had 13 points. Even 6-5 post player Jerrod Patton was feeling it, as he tossed it a wide-open 3-point attempt from the top of the arc early in the third quarter, stretching Sierra’s lead to 43-22.
“I needed to score some points, too,” Guzman said with a chuckle. “When everyone else is hitting their shots it just makes you want to also.”
Ripon (2-3) succeeded in shutting down both Patton (five points) and Ward in the paint thanks in large part to the physical defense of Andy Bunting and Jake McCreath, who were getting help from their scrappy guards.
The 6-4 McCreath churned out 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Indians.
“We want to be real balanced — we want to have a real solid inside game and we want to have a real solid perimeter game,” Thomason said. “Teams are going to defend us different ways, so different guys or going to have to step up on different nights.
“They did a good job of double-teaming and roughing us up a little bit inside, but that gave us a lot of good looks outside.”
To Ripon’s credit, it did not show quit after trailing by as much as 30 points in the third quarter. The Indians were able to cut the deficit down to 13 on three occasions in the fourth, forcing Thomason to re-enter his starters.
Andrade fittingly iced the game after starting out so hot, making two free throws with 1:35 remaining and a fastbreak layup with 45 seconds to go.
Sierra uncharacteristically committed 10 of its 22 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, and many of those late giveaways were caused by Ripon’s full-court press.
The Timberwolves dominated every quarter but the fourth, when they were outscored 26-16.
“I was definitely disappointed with our effort defensively in the second half,” Thomason said. “We were turning the ball over and then giving them wide-open looks.
“We gotta learn how to play 32 minutes, sustain our effort and develop a killer instinct. I’ve been around long enough to see some crazy things happen (to teams with big leads).”
But from long-range, the Timberwolves were automatic.
Despite getting zero points from its best player, 6-foot-5 center Will Ward, Sierra garnered its fifth straight non-league win convincingly, 72-54.
“I guess that’s a good sign,” said Sierra coach Scott Thomason, whose team has had to rely heavily on their post players for consistent production while the guards have struggled with streakiness.
Eddie Andrade buried seven 3-pointers — all in the first half — and led all players with 27 points, splashing down perimeter bombs from every angle.
Sierra’s first eight field goals in the contest were 3’s, and 12 of its 14 first-half field goals were from beyond the arc.
Andrade’s trey from the right corner with 5.5 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Timberwolves (5-2) a 21-4 advantage heading into the second.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Andrade said. “I just got on a little hot streak and my teammates kept finding me.”
It turned out to be contagious for the Timberwolves.
Sophomore guard Guillermo Nunez sank three 3’s in the first quarter with Andrade hitting the rest. Nunez finished with 15 points, six steals and four assists.
Edy Guzman also nailed three 3’s and had 13 points. Even 6-5 post player Jerrod Patton was feeling it, as he tossed it a wide-open 3-point attempt from the top of the arc early in the third quarter, stretching Sierra’s lead to 43-22.
“I needed to score some points, too,” Guzman said with a chuckle. “When everyone else is hitting their shots it just makes you want to also.”
Ripon (2-3) succeeded in shutting down both Patton (five points) and Ward in the paint thanks in large part to the physical defense of Andy Bunting and Jake McCreath, who were getting help from their scrappy guards.
The 6-4 McCreath churned out 17 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Indians.
“We want to be real balanced — we want to have a real solid inside game and we want to have a real solid perimeter game,” Thomason said. “Teams are going to defend us different ways, so different guys or going to have to step up on different nights.
“They did a good job of double-teaming and roughing us up a little bit inside, but that gave us a lot of good looks outside.”
To Ripon’s credit, it did not show quit after trailing by as much as 30 points in the third quarter. The Indians were able to cut the deficit down to 13 on three occasions in the fourth, forcing Thomason to re-enter his starters.
Andrade fittingly iced the game after starting out so hot, making two free throws with 1:35 remaining and a fastbreak layup with 45 seconds to go.
Sierra uncharacteristically committed 10 of its 22 turnovers in the fourth quarter alone, and many of those late giveaways were caused by Ripon’s full-court press.
The Timberwolves dominated every quarter but the fourth, when they were outscored 26-16.
“I was definitely disappointed with our effort defensively in the second half,” Thomason said. “We were turning the ball over and then giving them wide-open looks.
“We gotta learn how to play 32 minutes, sustain our effort and develop a killer instinct. I’ve been around long enough to see some crazy things happen (to teams with big leads).”
