Quick start, 34 points from freshman push Ringgold past Southmoreland

By: Adam Brewer
Monday, December 27, 2021 | 10:18 PM

Previous Next

Ringgold tallied 27 first-quarter points against Southmoreland on the first day of the cfsbank Holiday Tournament at Charleroi High School on Monday night.

But the Rams went cold in the middle quarters.

Despite only leading by six points in the fourth quarter, Ringgold showed its resolve and battled to a 61-50 triumph to snap a three-game losing streak.

“We have struggled with getting off to good starts in games,” Ringgold coach Matt Rowland said. “I loved our energy early on, and we had a good spurt. We hit our 3s and got some easy hoops with our bigs. The start was good, but the rest of the game was ugly for us. We are happy to come out of here with a win.”

Zion Moore was the catalyst for the Rams (3-3) with 34 points. The freshman was explosive in the opening period with 14 points and then was able to be a consistent factor late with 15 points in the final eight minutes.

“Zion has always had a great attitude on the court and is a team-first guy,” Rowland said. “When he slows his game down and (doesn’t) try to do too much, he is a force. He is gifted in a lot ways that most freshmen are not. Sure, he is going to make mistakes but he is a hard worker.”

Ringgold will play the winner of the Charleroi-California game at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

The Scotties (2-3) were led offensively by Ty Keffer (26 points) and Isaac Trout (10).

“Obviously, we didn’t come out ready to play,” Southmoreland coach Frank Muccino said. “All credit to Ringgold, but we just were sloppy with the ball and were settling for outside shots. They were hot from 3-point range in the first and they got their transition game gong. We couldn’t slow them down or change the tempo of the game.”

Ringgold, which started the season with two straight wins in the MVI Shootout, has been battling some early season injuries. Jesus Davenport was one of those key starters making his season debut, and he registered a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

“Jesus adds something to the inside for us that we don’t have with anyone else,” said Rowland of Davenport, who also added five blocks. “He is super athletic and can change the game with his interior play. He plays with a lot of energy and his length is hard to defend.”

Nick Peccon had nine points for the Rams, while Daryl Tolliver added eight.

After the squads exchanged baskets to begin the game, Moore nailed his second trey of the night and extended Ringgold’s lead to 12-7.

The Scotties countered with two foul shots from Keffer, but the Rams responded with a 15-2 spree that ended the quarter. Moore had two 3-pointers in the run as Ringgold led 27-11 at the end of one.

Southmoreland opened the second stanza with a 9-4 spurt to make it 31-20, but Ringgold grabbed five unanswered points via a 3-pointer by Tolliver and a lay-up by Moore.

The Scotties ended the first half with the final five points and only trailed 36-25 at halftime.

Both teams struggled to find their offense in the third quarter, as Southmoreland held a 9-6 scoring edge in the frame and cut the deficit to 42-36 going into the fourth.

“We clawed our way back, and I really liked what I saw in the middle quarters,” Muccino said. “We only gave up 15 points in the middle quarters. But we couldn’t get that big run in the fourth. At crucial times, we made those crucial mistakes in the fourth. We are young with four sophomores, but we are not going to use that as an excuse. We’ve got to be better.”

Moore scored the opening seven points for the Rams in the fourth, but a basket by Keffer cut the score to 48-43 with 4:07 left in regulation.

Ringgold pushed its lead to 53-43 moments later after a basket from Peccon and a 3-pointer by Moore. Moore collected three more baskets the remainder of the game, as the freshman was able to lead the Rams late to secure the victory.

“We need to execute better and be a balanced offense in stretches,” Rowland said. “We can’t just depend on one or two guys to score the basketball for us. Southmoreland turned the defense up, and it took us a long time to respond the right way. We have to learn from this game.”

Tags: Ringgold, Southmoreland