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Saturday
March 20, 2010 Since 1922 |
Rangers take bronze in Bronze
By Trey Shockley
Baytown Sun Published November 21, 2004 The Sterling Rangers bounced back from a stunning loss to Pasadena Memorial to take the third place trophy in the Texas Invitational basketball tournament in the bronze division.
The Rangers beat Galveston Ball 76-61 and were up as much as 23 points at one point in the game.
“We were very disappointed that we were not playing in the championship game, but we got the guys refocused on the task at hand and that was bringing home one of those one-of-a-kind limestone trophies from the San Jacinto monument,” head coach Mark Patton said.
One of the keys to the Rangers victory was the lack of turnovers the team committed in the third place game compared to the total they had in the semifinal game against Memorial.
The Rangers only turned the ball over 12 times in the final, half of what they had committed in the earlier game.
“We made a decision to make sure we did not make those mistakes again,” Patton said.
The Rangers took control early taking an 11-point lead at the end of the first period and continued to increase their lead in the second, outscoring Galveston Ball 20-12 to go into the half up 50-31.
Patrick McAulliffe was named the game’s most valuable player, scoring 14 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking four shots. McAulliffe, Jeremy Williams and Jerry Allen were named to the All-Tournament team.
“Patrick is a steady contributor for us,” Patton said. “He is such a big kid that he can take control of the ball on the inside or the outside.”
The Rangers came out in the second half and slowed down the tempo, allowing Galveston Ball to stay within striking distance, but the Rangers’ lead was too much for Galveston Ball to overcome, despite outscoring the Rangers 30-26 in the second half.
“Our overall depth won us the game,” Patton said. “Every player played a key role in the win.”
Williams finished the game with a team-high 18 points. Allen had 14 points, six assists and six rebounds.
In the first game of the day, the Rangers fell to Pasadena Memorial 71-64 in the semifinal match of the bronze division of the tournament.
The Rangers rallied late in the final period to pull within 53-52 on a 10-2 run. After a Memorial timeout, Sterling’s offense went cold as the Mavericks went on an 11-0 run to break the game wide open.
Turnovers plagued the Rangers throughout and ultimately cost them the chance to close the gap. The Rangers committed 24 turnovers in the game.
“Once we got the score down to one, we thought we would make our move like we had all tournament, ” Patton said.
Forward Patrick McAulliffe led the Rangers with 19 points and five rebounds.
“He scored 19 points and he could have had 30 if he concentrated and made better shot selection,” Patton said.
The Rangers fell behind midway through the second period 28-20, when William Buie led the Mavericks on an 11-0 run. Buie hit two 3-point shots during the stretch run and the Rangers went into the locker room down 37-34 at the half.
“A couple of turnovers set us back and a couple of guys took bad shots. Our shot selection was not what we had earlier in the tournament,” Patton said.
Allen won the 3-point contest held also Saturday night.
Baytown Sun Published November 21, 2004 The Sterling Rangers bounced back from a stunning loss to Pasadena Memorial to take the third place trophy in the Texas Invitational basketball tournament in the bronze division.
The Rangers beat Galveston Ball 76-61 and were up as much as 23 points at one point in the game.
“We were very disappointed that we were not playing in the championship game, but we got the guys refocused on the task at hand and that was bringing home one of those one-of-a-kind limestone trophies from the San Jacinto monument,” head coach Mark Patton said.
One of the keys to the Rangers victory was the lack of turnovers the team committed in the third place game compared to the total they had in the semifinal game against Memorial.
The Rangers only turned the ball over 12 times in the final, half of what they had committed in the earlier game.
“We made a decision to make sure we did not make those mistakes again,” Patton said.
The Rangers took control early taking an 11-point lead at the end of the first period and continued to increase their lead in the second, outscoring Galveston Ball 20-12 to go into the half up 50-31.
Patrick McAulliffe was named the game’s most valuable player, scoring 14 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking four shots. McAulliffe, Jeremy Williams and Jerry Allen were named to the All-Tournament team.
“Patrick is a steady contributor for us,” Patton said. “He is such a big kid that he can take control of the ball on the inside or the outside.”
The Rangers came out in the second half and slowed down the tempo, allowing Galveston Ball to stay within striking distance, but the Rangers’ lead was too much for Galveston Ball to overcome, despite outscoring the Rangers 30-26 in the second half.
“Our overall depth won us the game,” Patton said. “Every player played a key role in the win.”
Williams finished the game with a team-high 18 points. Allen had 14 points, six assists and six rebounds.
In the first game of the day, the Rangers fell to Pasadena Memorial 71-64 in the semifinal match of the bronze division of the tournament.
The Rangers rallied late in the final period to pull within 53-52 on a 10-2 run. After a Memorial timeout, Sterling’s offense went cold as the Mavericks went on an 11-0 run to break the game wide open.
Turnovers plagued the Rangers throughout and ultimately cost them the chance to close the gap. The Rangers committed 24 turnovers in the game.
“Once we got the score down to one, we thought we would make our move like we had all tournament, ” Patton said.
Forward Patrick McAulliffe led the Rangers with 19 points and five rebounds.
“He scored 19 points and he could have had 30 if he concentrated and made better shot selection,” Patton said.
The Rangers fell behind midway through the second period 28-20, when William Buie led the Mavericks on an 11-0 run. Buie hit two 3-point shots during the stretch run and the Rangers went into the locker room down 37-34 at the half.
“A couple of turnovers set us back and a couple of guys took bad shots. Our shot selection was not what we had earlier in the tournament,” Patton said.
Allen won the 3-point contest held also Saturday night.