Dutch Ell’s East Union Lancers have responded from a league-opening loss to defending champion Mountain House on Monday with two straight victories, including Friday night’s smothering performance over cross town rival Sierra 67-36 in front of a packed crowd at the Dalben Canter.
“Obviously, we didn’t start the league schedule the way we wanted, but I have been happy with our play since,” Ell said. “This was a great atmosphere tonight, and we really fed off of the energy from the crowd on both ends of the floor throughout the entire game.”
The Lancers (2-1, 13-3) jumped on the Timberwolves (0-2, 11-6) from the opening whistle, employing a full-court press that caused problems for Sierra, forcing seven turnovers and helping East Union jump out to an 18-5 run just four minutes into the game. Jackson Fay (five points) and Zydell King (15 points) found success getting to the basket in the half-court offense, in what would be a theme on the night for the Lancers, who dominated points in the paint, 39-13.
“We really wanted to come out and jump all over them tonight,” King said. “We were swarming on defense, and anytime you force as many turnovers as we did, things are going to be easier for you offensively.”
East Union led 26-11 at the end of the first quarter.
“They really got after us early,” Timberwolves coach Jalen Bourbon said. “We struggled with the press and turned the ball over way too much, and even though we righted the ship later on, it wasn’t enough to overcome the hole we dug ourselves in.”
Bourbon made adjustments going into the second quarter and switched to a zone defense that seemed to slow the Lancers down. After an explosive first quarter, the Timberwolves held East Union to just nine points in the second, while scoring 11 of their own behind strong play at the rim by the Timberwolves leading scorer Colby Veuve (eight points).
The 13-point deficit Sierra faced going into the half might have been even smaller had the Timberwolves been able to shoot anywhere near their season average from behind the arc. Sierra finished the game 5-for-20 from three-point range.
Ell used his team’s struggles to adjust to the zone in the second quarter as motivation going into to the second half, challenging his team to not settle for outside shots.
“We’re becoming more consistent making the extra pass and finding the right shot, not just the easy one,” Ell said. “You saw tonight we’re still working to get there and credit to them, but I thought we came out and were much better in the second half.”
Leading scorer Ayande Johnson (16 points) settled the nerves of the crowd with a big 3-pointer to start the second half, kicking off a 16-3 run for the Lancers in a third quarter that saw them hold their visitors to just one field goal and three points overall. East Union took a 51-25 lead into the fourth quarter in a game that was still very much up for grabs just eight minutes of game time earlier.
“Coach told us at half that we needed to come out attacking and get the lead back up to 20,” King said. “We got back going on defense forcing turnovers and getting to the rim which was the way we had done it early on.”
The fourth quarter saw both teams go to their benches, as the Lancers were able to extend the lead and earn their second league win on the season with a score that pleased the young fans in attendance, 67-36.
Eight players scored in a balanced attack for the Lancers, highlighted by Lorenzo Jones (nine points, 10 rebounds), Kirk Simoni (six points) and Rico Johnson (six points).
For Sierra, Isaiah Revives scored five points while center AJ Chapman contributed three points to go along with nine rebounds.
The Lancers will have less than 24 hours to enjoy Friday night’s victory, as they head to Pitman for a non-league tilt Saturday at 5pm. They’ll resume league play Wednesday with another test at a Central Catholic Raiders squad that has started VOL play 3-0.
For Sierra, a home tilt against the Mustangs of Oakdale will be their next shot at picking up its first league win on the season.
