December 01, 2012 @ 12:37 am
A balanced scoring attack led by freshman David Jenkins’ 17 points helped the Wilson fend off a late Gig Harbor charge as the Rams opened their season with a 71-64 non league win on Friday night.
The Rams got off to a quick start offensively. Ivy Smith (15 points), Alphonso Anderson (11 points) and Keun Thompson (10 points) helped lead a first-quarter surge that gave Wilson a seven-point lead at 24-17, and it would be a lead they would not relinquish.
The second quarter was the turning point, as the Rams tightened the screws defensively, holding the Tides to just three points – with no field goals – as Wilson would take a 42-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
But as happens sometimes with young and experienced teams, the Rams left their “A” game in the locker room coming out for the second half, scoring a mere 10 points as their lead diminished to 52-36 entering the fourth quarter.
The Tides would cut into the lead further in the fourth quarter with the long range marksmanship of Carson Gearhart, who would find the range with 12 points on four three-pointers. The Tides trimmed the once large Wilson lead down to six with just under a minute left, but Ivy Smith would calmly drain six free throws down the stretch to fend off the late Tides surge. The Rams will host the SPSL 2A Washington Patriots next Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at the Byrd Gym.
By Steve Mullen
