WESTON RANCH — In a much anticipated battle of the area young guns, the Weston Ranch High boys varsity basketball squad was blown away on its home court by McNair Tuesday, 72-52.
The non-league contest featured seven sophomores between both teams. But none were better than the Eagles duo of Thomas Wallace and Eric Duncan.
Wallace, a 6-foot-3 guard, had eight of his 23 points in the third quarter, including a breakaway slam dunk.
Duncan, who is a 6-0 guard, delivered 14 of his 20 points in the first half, sparking McNair with his all-around play during the 19-5 run.
Controlling the boards was one of the keys to the game.
In this area, the Eagles (7-2) held an overwhelming 45-18 advantage.
“I knew that if we rebound, we win,” McNair coach Matt Morelli said.
Weston Ranch countered with a pair of outstanding sophomores in 6-4 guard Dylan Alexander and 6-7 center Daiveon Leverett.
Alexander was lights out from behind arc, connecting on five 3’s. He finished with a game-high 24 points.
“It was great to see Dylan finally get his shots to fall,” Weston Ranch coach Ryan Bono said.
His hope was for his Cougars to play together as a team.
They did just that early, bouncing back from an early 5-0 deficit due to the three turnovers with a 16-6 rally.
Alexander had a fast-break bucket and trey while Zerrion Payton, a 5-10 sophomore guard, chipped in with a steal, assist and 3-point basket. Leverett also chipped in with a pair of field goals from down low, getting a nifty pass from junior guard Andre Beard, who finished with nine points.
“In the first quarter, we came out intense, playing team basketball. That’s what made us successful,” Bono said.
In the second quarter, his team made the big mistake of going one-on-one with McNair.
Down 22-15, the Eagles responded by scoring 14 unanswered points.
Duncan was the catalyst in the attack, blowing past the Cougar defense with his strong moves to the basket.
He even canned a trey to put McNair ahead shortly before the intermission, 32-24.
The Eagles picked up where they left off in the third, going on a 9-0 run.
Wallace had connected on a pair of free throws and the slam dunk. Darro Byrd hit a 3 while Xavier Anders had a put-back shot.
Alexander and Beard accounted for the Weston Ranch offense.
The Cougars were again outscored, 20-9, while falling further behind, 54-34.
McNair opened the fourth with a 10-3 spurt, increasing its lead to 64-36, thus, clearing the way for the reserves.
But Alexander provided Weston Ranch with a glimmer of hope, scoring on drive and then connecting on a pair of 3s from way beyond the arc.
That modest threat was enough for Morelli to reinsert his starters.
“We’re a young team,” Bono said. “Because of that, we’re learning.
“There are times when we’ve moved forward. Tonight, we took a step backwards.”
The non-league contest featured seven sophomores between both teams. But none were better than the Eagles duo of Thomas Wallace and Eric Duncan.
Wallace, a 6-foot-3 guard, had eight of his 23 points in the third quarter, including a breakaway slam dunk.
Duncan, who is a 6-0 guard, delivered 14 of his 20 points in the first half, sparking McNair with his all-around play during the 19-5 run.
Controlling the boards was one of the keys to the game.
In this area, the Eagles (7-2) held an overwhelming 45-18 advantage.
“I knew that if we rebound, we win,” McNair coach Matt Morelli said.
Weston Ranch countered with a pair of outstanding sophomores in 6-4 guard Dylan Alexander and 6-7 center Daiveon Leverett.
Alexander was lights out from behind arc, connecting on five 3’s. He finished with a game-high 24 points.
“It was great to see Dylan finally get his shots to fall,” Weston Ranch coach Ryan Bono said.
His hope was for his Cougars to play together as a team.
They did just that early, bouncing back from an early 5-0 deficit due to the three turnovers with a 16-6 rally.
Alexander had a fast-break bucket and trey while Zerrion Payton, a 5-10 sophomore guard, chipped in with a steal, assist and 3-point basket. Leverett also chipped in with a pair of field goals from down low, getting a nifty pass from junior guard Andre Beard, who finished with nine points.
“In the first quarter, we came out intense, playing team basketball. That’s what made us successful,” Bono said.
In the second quarter, his team made the big mistake of going one-on-one with McNair.
Down 22-15, the Eagles responded by scoring 14 unanswered points.
Duncan was the catalyst in the attack, blowing past the Cougar defense with his strong moves to the basket.
He even canned a trey to put McNair ahead shortly before the intermission, 32-24.
The Eagles picked up where they left off in the third, going on a 9-0 run.
Wallace had connected on a pair of free throws and the slam dunk. Darro Byrd hit a 3 while Xavier Anders had a put-back shot.
Alexander and Beard accounted for the Weston Ranch offense.
The Cougars were again outscored, 20-9, while falling further behind, 54-34.
McNair opened the fourth with a 10-3 spurt, increasing its lead to 64-36, thus, clearing the way for the reserves.
But Alexander provided Weston Ranch with a glimmer of hope, scoring on drive and then connecting on a pair of 3s from way beyond the arc.
That modest threat was enough for Morelli to reinsert his starters.
“We’re a young team,” Bono said. “Because of that, we’re learning.
“There are times when we’ve moved forward. Tonight, we took a step backwards.”
