Warriors start season with high-scoring wins in Carterville - NJCAA | News

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Warriors start season with high-scoring wins in Carterville

November 5, 2012

CARTERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 5, 2012) – The Rend Lake College Warriors started the basketball season 2-0 after a high-scoring opening weekend at John A. Logan College. RLC will play its home opener at 3 p.m. Saturday, against South Suburban College – the team that beat Rend Lake in the opening round of the national championship tournament last year.

The Warriors handled the Memphis-based prep program, Southern Sports Institute, 102-87 on Friday before downing Ivy Tech Community College, 100-86, Saturday afternoon.

Rend Lake led SSI 51-47 at the half. RLC’s 6-3 freshman guard Cortez Macklin (Louisville) led the Warriors with 28 against SSI. Macklin hit 10 of 16 from the field - three from long range - and went a coach’s dream, 11 of 12, from the free-throw line. The Warriors had four more score in double digits. Trice Whaley (Jeffersonville, Ind.) had 10, Corey Ayala (Metropolis) had 15, Noel Allen (Guttenburg, N.J.) had 14 and Bronson Verhines (Woodlawn) had 13. RLC, as a team, finished 39-44 from the charity stripe and pulled down 33 rebounds – seven offensively and 26 on defense. Verhines led the team with seven boards.

Freshman forward Montez Buford (Louisville) led RLC in scoring with 28 against Ivy Tech. Jeril Taylor pitched in 19, and Macklin had 15. The Warriors were able to pull down more offensive rebounds in this one. The team had a total 46 rebounds with 14 on its own end. Taylor led the team with 11.

The Warriors started this season’s scrimmages with wins over Kankakee, Moreton and Wabash Valley at area jamborees taking place at Kankakee College and Southwestern Illinois College. RLC lost to City College of Chicago – Kennedy King at the KC Jamboree and fell by six to SWIC in Belleville.

“After watching them in Kankakee and Belleville, I think we have the basis for being a very competitive and very good team,” Rend Lake Head Coach Randy House said. We have to buy into the team concept versus being a bunch of individuals in there playing.

While sophomores Allen and Verhines are automatic starters early, House said depth at every position will allow him to retrofit rosters that match his opponent this year.

“It’s up to me to mix and match them, and put the best team on the floor. Let’s just say there is a reason for optimism.”

House is in his third season at the helm of basketball at The Lake. The team is coming off of the college’s best season in history with a trip to the NJCAA Championship Tournament. Verhines and Allen played a huge role in that success.

For all things athletic at The Lake, visit RLC online at www.rlc.edu/warriors.

RLC v. Southern Sports Institute --- RLC 102 (51-51) SSI 87 (47-40) For RLC: Montez Williams 0,2-2,2 Trice Whaley 6,0-0,10 Corey Ayala 2,11-12,15 Noel Allen 6, 2-5, 14 Jeril Taylor 3, 4-4, 9 Dawson Verhines 4, 0-0, 9 Cortez Macklin 10, 11-12, 28 Montez Buford 2, 1-1, 5 Bronson Verhines 3, 8-8, 13. RLC – Total FG 36-76, Total FT 39-44, Rebounds Off (7) Def (26), Fouls 27, Technical Fouls 0.

RLC v. Ivy Tech Community College --- RLC 100 () ITCC 86 () For RLC: Williams 3, 1-1, 6 Whaley 2, 1-2, 5 Ayala 1, 0-2, 2 Jesse Smith 1, 1-2, 3 Allen 2, 2-2, 6 Taylor 8, 4-5, 19 D. Verhines 4, 2-2, 9 Macklin 7, 1-2, 15 Buford 13, 4-5, 28 B. Verhines 2, 2-2, 6. RLC – Total FG 43-81, Total FT 18-25, Rebounds Off (14) Def (32), Fouls 13, Technical Fouls (Taylor).