ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Rocky River topped the Lincoln West Wolverines 59-36 in a non-conference affair on home hardwood Saturday night.
After a dodgy start, the Pirates registered a one-sided 21-6 second quarter, and they would cruise to a second win in as many days. Rocky River (5-6) leveraged a sizeable shooting advantage and a monster edge on the boards in dispatching the Wolverines. Senior guard Braedon Spies went 6-of-10 from the floor and logged 13 points to lead a cadre of 10 Pirates etching entries into the points column of the scorebook.
After a hard-fought, physical victory at North Olmsted Friday, the Pirates came out perhaps a bit flat in the early minutes of of Saturday's contest. An ineffective starting five was lifted in a fire-wagon line change a couple minutes into the opening quarter. Will DeClerck and Zach Wearsch spearheaded the second unit in leveling things out, and River would go into the second quarter leading 11-9.
Improved shooting and dominant rebounding sling-shotted the Pirates to a 32-15 lead by halftime. The third and fourth quarters played out with little pushback from the visitors.
For the game, Rocky River outshot Lincoln 39% to 26%. Neither side was effective from distance, and much of the game was played in and around the paint. Misses from there and just about anywhere else were controlled by the Maroon & White. The Pirates muscled their way to a 48-33 advantage on the boards.
DeClerck and Patrick Lange were especially effective on the offensive glass. They paced the home five to 19 offensive boards, which tied a season high (Dec. 17, Jan. 4). DeClerck finished the game with seven rebounds (four on the offensive end) and four points. Lange logged seven boards (five) to go with five points.
Spies added three assists and a pair of steals -- and one thunderous dunk -- to his line. Justin Gina finished with 10 points and four assists. Robby Lang narrowly missed out on his second double-double of the weekend: he registered nine points and nine rebounds.
Senior forward John Treadwell paced the Wolverines with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Senior guard Josue Ramos had 13 points.
River's 23-point margin of victory marked the program's largest since Feb. 26 (28 vs. Lake Catholic).
For the Pirates, Saturday's contest at Rocky River Gymnasium marked the first of three in a row slated for the Cozy Hardwood Confines at the Corner of Wagar & Detroit. The Sons of Blackbeard will host Fairview on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) and Westlake on Friday (7:30 p.m.).
by Skip Snow
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