Loch Raven coach Brandon Thomas is a defensive coach. All you have to do is ask him.
“Defense is our staple here,” Thomas said. “Just stop the guy in front of you. I think we played excellent defense tonight.”
Excellent, indeed. The Raiders won all four quarters in Thursday’s game at host Perry Hall and never trailed en route to a 69-43 win in a Baltimore County interdivisional showdown.
Loch Raven (14-6) was led by Amonte Johnson’s 18 points, while Earl Jordan and John Artis contributed 14 each. Perry Hall (8-12) was paced by Brandon Williamson’s 10 points.
The Gators initially came out in a 2-3 zone defense, which gave Loch Raven problems. Loch Raven only led 6-2 midway through the first period, but then the shots began to fall for the Raiders. First, Artis hit a 3-pointer, then Jordan hit three straight layups to end the quarter with the Raiders leading 18-9.
“They were a smaller, quicker team than we were so we decided to go with the 2-3 defense,” Perry Hall coach Joe Carlineo said. “It slowed them down for a while, but we didn’t take advantage of that on the offensive side of the ball.”
Meanwhile, the Raiders were just rounding into their defensive form. Loch Raven used a series of traps and half-court defenses to confound the Perry Hall offense.
“Defense is our culture,” Jordan said. “That’s the main focus of our program; our coach stresses it so much. Being a dog on defense is what you have to do to play at Loch Raven.”
The Raiders kept up the intensity in the second quarter, although Perry Hall mounted a challenge at the beginning of the period, outscoring the Raiders 8-3 to begin the second and cut the lead to 21-17. After a Thomas timeout, though, it was right back to the same old tough defense and points off turnovers. Loch Raven went on a 8-0 run over the next three minutes to build a 29-17 lead, before two free throws by Perry Hall’s Justin Avery made the halftime score 29-19.
Loch Raven had its best quarter offensively in the third quarter, outscoring the Gators 26-17 to widen the lead. Johnson scored 13 of his points in the quarter, as the Raider defense seemed to tire out the Gators. Loch Raven led 55-36 after the third and both coaches emptied their benches for the fourth quarter.
For Artis, the Raiders style came as something new. He transferred in from Harford Tech after last season. The Raiders won a regional title last year and he wants to be part of winning another and going even further.
“What makes this team special is our off-the-court chemistry,” Artis said. “We’re always doing everything together, and that helps us to know where everybody is on the court. Everyone has a role on the team. We’re a little undersized, so defense is how we’re going to win games.”
According to coach Thomas, if the Raiders win one more game, they’ll lock up the No. 1 seed in their region for the upcoming playoffs.
“We’re preparing for a run in the states,” he said. “Our region’s tight, so we knew we had to win tonight to keep the top spot. That’s our focus right now. I think our kids played with great energy, and we got it done.”
Loch Raven – 18 11 26 14 – 69
Perry Hall – 9 10 17 7 – 43
LR: Earl Jordan 14, Dwayne Williams 4, Kaden Lewis 4, John Artis 14, Amonte Johnson 18, Brian Thomas 3, Stephen Wheller 8, Chambers 4
PH: Nnamdi Ezeaputa 4, Tyler Thomas 5, Alex Rice 6, Eric Ingram 3, Brandon Williamson 10, Justin Avery 2, Adam Butz 5, Jayden Beaton 6, Ethan Harris-Robinson 2
