East Union coach Dutch Ell wasn’t always pleased with the effort and execution during his Lancers’ home opener against Foothill on Thursday, but he was quick to remind himself that there is still a lot of time to get put it all together.
Newcomer Ayande Johnson scored 16 of his 18 points in a tide-turning second quarter, while Lorenzo Jones did Lorenzo Jones things with a double-double to lead a 71-37 lambasting of the visiting Mustangs from Sacramento.
Senior point guard Zydell King contributed 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals. Tomari Harris paced Foothill with 14 points.
“I understand it’s going to take some time,” Ell said. “We have four football guys with some sore bodies who have just one practice under their belts, but a game like this is really good for film, where we can specifically see what went right, what went wrong and learn from there.
“But, you know, a 30-point win in your third game and home opener, you can’t ask for much more than that.”
Defense and Johnson’s hot shooting helped jump start the offense in the second quarter.
Foothill (1-2) led 17-8 late in the first period, but with just three available reserves, the Mustangs succumbed to the relentless pressure that East Union (2-1) — boasting a much deeper bench — applied the rest of the way.
The Lancers came out with a full-court press in the second quarter, scoring 23 unanswered points with an emphasis on attacking the paint to open up better shots all-around. East Union missed its first six shots of the game and mostly settled for rushed 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The game shifted completely in the second, as EU outscored the Mustangs 26-4 to lead 36-23 at halftime.
Johnson, a transfer from Weston Ranch, accounted for four of the Lancers’ five made 3s, making all of his during that second-quarter onslaught. He also collected nine rebounds and three assists.
“For me, personally, I was just doing what I needed for the team,” Johnson said. “Just needed to wake up, in general. We weren’t mentally ready for the game.”
Jones also had a slow start but eventually brought his usual energy in the paint. He scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and pulled down 14 rebounds — 10 on offense.
“It felt like I did almost nothing in that first quarter,” Jones said. “I knew I had to grab rebounds like I normally do. That’s what I’m expected to do, so I just locked it in and went out there to do whatever I could to help us win.”
While Johnson gave East Union the early boost, it was Jones who landed the knockout blow. The senior forward scored nine straight points at one point in the second half, including an and-1 conversion off a put-back lay-up. The Lancers led 55-35 with 6:24 remaining after Jones’ personal run.
“He is a relentless rebounder,” Ell said. “It is quite a luxury. Sometimes, he almost makes me forget about the poor shot selection that we had because his fantastic and frenetic energy turns us around. Genuinely, in my 20-plus years of being around basketball, he’s the best offensive rebounder I’ve ever seen in my life.”
The Lancers dominated the glass, 54-28, while forcing 21 turnovers. Rico Johnson contributed 10 rebounds to go with six points.
Even with some players still out, East Union flexed its depth in the blowout. Nine of 11 players scored, and the Lancers nearly shut out Foothill in the fourth quarter. Ricky Echols (seven points, seven rebounds) ended the drought for the Mustangs with an off-balanced, turnaround jump shot with 35 seconds remaining.
“We have so much more depth this year,” said Jones, who played a key role in East Union qualifying for the playoffs last year. “We have shooters, we have defenders and rebounders — we have everything a good team needs to make it far.”
East Union heads to River Islands next Tuesday.
Junior varsity
East Union 63, Foothill 37
Mason Hanif made three 3s and led three Lancers in double figures with 15 points in the landslide victory. Nine of East Union’s 10 players suited up scored.
Caleb Tarr contributed 14 points, and Tyse Goodwin had 12.
Aedon Abellana and Tyson Mckernon paced Foothill with 13 apiece.
