When you’re playing a team that is arguably the best in the state, you must bring your A-plus game.
The Presbyterian Christian boys were unable to do that Tuesday night against Madison-Ridgeland, although it might not have mattered if they did.
MRA, ranked No. 2 in the state in the Mississippi Gridiron Overall Top 10, and third in the ScoreBook Live Top 10, showed the crowd at Rees Gymnasium why in an authoritative 69-43 victory in District 1-6A action.
The Patriots won their 18th consecutive game and improved to 25-2 overall and 4-0 in district. The Bobcats dropped to 19-6 and 1-3.
“They’ve got a good squad,” said PCS coach Josh Sherer. “That system is a little bit different from what we’re used to in our league. Traditionally, you’d be a little more ball-control, and they are absolutely not.”
MRA put on a clinic, especially in the second half, shooting 60.9 percent from the field (28 of 46), including 5 of 9 from 3-point range.
Of course, it’s easy to shoot a high percentage when most of your shots are layups and slam dunks, and the Patriots had a boatload of those.
“They do a great job of leaking out and getting down the floor,” said Sherer. “They’re not sending a ton to the rim to get rebounds, and we’re scrapping for everything we’ve got to get the rebound.”
The onslaught really started right from the get-go, as talented junior Josh Hubbard drove into the lane, drew a foul and converted both free throws.
It was 7-0 after junior Harrison Alexander got a layup, forcing Sherer to call a time out with 5:39 to play in the first quarter to get his team organized.
It seemed to help, as senior Skyler Hill came off the bench to hit a 3-point shot, then junior Tucker Morris drove the lane for a layup and sophomore Turner Vance got another layup to cap a 7-0 run for the Bobcats.
“We shot the ball pretty well in the first half,” said Sherer. “Skyler Hill hit a couple of 3s that kept their margin from getting larger going into the half.”
But the Patriots got back in gear, bracketing a defensive board and a steal with a fast-break layup by senior Street Toler and fast-break slams by Alexander and Hubbard.
Hill answered with another 3-ball, but MRA scored five unanswered points to close the period leading 18-10.
It was more of the same at the start of the second quarter, as Alexander turned a steal into yet another fast-break slam, then Hubbard turned another steal into a 3-pointer to cap the 10-0 run.
PCS answered with a 9-0 run of its own, as the Patriots hit a little lull, missing four straight shots. The Bobcats gave the Patriots a little taste of their own medicine, as they got some transition offense going.
Morris drove the lane for a layup; Vance had a pair of fast-break layups off a steal and a missed 3-pointer to pull PCS to within four points, 23-19.
“I thought we shot the ball pretty well in the first half,” said Sherer. “Skyler Hill came in and hit a couple of 3-point shots that kept them from getting the margin out too far.”
But that was as close as the Bobcats would get. MRA senior Tyler Latham came off the bench to just about single-handedly help the Patriots pull away.
Latham hit a pair of jump shots, then a 3-pointer in a 7-2 surge. Hill hit another 3-ball for PCS, but sophomore Sam Hailey answered with a 3-pointer of his own for MRA, and the Patriots took a 35-26 lead into halftime.
And that just set the stage for the fireworks to come. MRA converted 9 of 13 shots from the field in the third quarter, including seven straight at one stretch.
Hubbard got the Patriots going with a drive down the lane, drew a foul and converted the and-one. Senior Davis Dalton got a layup out of a set play, then Alexander and Hubbard took turns abusing the Bobcats in transition.
By the time Sherer could get a time out, with 4:10 remaining in the period, MRA had a 48-30 lead, and the rest of the game was pretty much an exhibition. The Patriots led by as many as 32 in the fourth quarter.
Hubbard, a 5-11 guard who is being highly recruited, finished with 27 points. Alexander added 12 points and Latham had 11 points, all in the first half.
“Josh Hubbard’s so tough,” said Sherer. “I don’t think you can let him get 27, but you’ve at least got to subdue the other guys. He’s going to get 17, 18, 20 points, no matter what you do. So you have to really focus on stopping the others.”
Hill led PCS with 9 points and Morris added 8 points.
It doesn’t get any easier for PCS, as the Bobcats travel to Hartfield on Friday.
“We’ve got to respond Friday,” Sherer said. “We’ll look at film of this, because we’ve got some things we need to fix. But we’ve got too look ahead and get ready for Hartfield.”
