Rockville gets consolation
Rams beat The Heights in third-place game at Wootton tournament
Ben Kane and DeAndre Kelly each scored 17 points, and the Rams rolled to a 67-47 win over The Heights School in the Patriots Holiday Jam's consolation game Wednesday evening at Wootton High School.
McLean (Va.) won the tournament championship with a 71-60 victory over host Wootton as sophomore point guard Gordon Rogo was named the event's Most Outstanding Player.
"We really needed to get things right, and I felt like we did that," said Rockville coach G.J. Kissal, whose team had lost 70-46 to the eventual champion Highlanders the previous night. "We came out with a lot of energy and played a lot better. This is more indicative of what we can do."
Unlike Tuesday's debacle, the Rams (1-5) came out swinging against the Cavaliers. Rockville's defense forced seven turnovers and held The Heights to just two of 12 shooting from the field in the first 8 minutes. And that pressure fed the Rams' fast break, as an 11-0 run, highlighted by four points from Kelly, gave Rockville an 11-3 edge and the game's early momentum. Crusoe Gongbay added a layup with 2 seconds left as Rockville closed the first quarter clutching a 13-8 lead.
Another 8-2 run fueled entirely by Gongbay pushed the Rams' lead to 21-10 with 4:04 left in the first half. Kane added a 3-pointer and a 3-point play on consecutive possessions to keep building the lead to 29-15 with 2:23 to play before settling for an 11-point edge, 30-19, at halftime.
"We just couldn't get anything going offensively," said The Heights coach Austin Hatch, whose team made just 23 of 60 shots from the field while turning the ball over 17 times. Rockville also outrebounded the Cavaliers, 34-28. "We got out of what we wanted to do and we didn't finish plays. But give them credit, they're a good team."
Rockville jumped out to an 18-point lead, 37-19, when Rainer Tandaju sank a layup 2:25 into the third quarter. And after a quick rally drew the Cavaliers within 11 points 3 minutes later, The Heights watched as Rockville ran away for good.
"It means a lot that we can come back and get a great win after a tough situation," Kane said. "This can definitely help us. We're feeling good; we just have to keep it up now."
Kelly also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds and was named to the all-tournament team. Gongbay finished with 12 points. George Koutris led The Heights with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.