“We were desperate for a win,” said Jordan Panther Raynard Tyler after the game. No kidding—after looking like a top-two favorite with a 3-0 league record, the Jordan Panthers had dropped their last two, and were beginning to slip into the middle of the pack. With a statement 81-52 win over the visiting Millikan Rams Friday night, they improve their record to 4-2 at the conclusion of the first half of league play, while the Rams drop to 2-4.
The Rams and Panthers are two of the most athletic teams in the league on both ends of the court, but it was obvious from tipoff that the Panthers had a fire under them—unafraid of contact and employing a defensive intensity we’ve only seen from Jordan in spurts, they jumped out to an early 20-10 lead after the first quarter, thanks to three Millikan turnovers committed during an 11-0 run for Jordan. The Rams would never cut the lead to less than seven. Jordan steals created by their pressure limited Millikan to only 19 shot attempts in the first half (to Jordan’s 31). That, and the fact that Jordan shot 58% to the Rams’ 47%, is how Jordan opened a 43-25 lead at the half. The play of Raynard Tyler and teammate Will Ervin set the pace for their teammates offensively, as the two were the model of efficiency, combining for 34 points on 22 shots (Tyler had 20 and Ervin 14). The pair also had four steals between them (three of them by Tyler).
The second half was more of the same, as the Rams continued to run their offense with a decent amount of success in the third quarter, but let the Panthers cut and slash their way to 24 points, making the score 67-38 after the third. By the end, 13 players had scored for Jordan, and they had a total 32-minute effort they could put in their pocket as we head into the break before the second half of the season starts. “It started with decent practices this week—we played well defensively, even in our base defense for most of the game,” said Jordan coach Ron Massey afterward.
“Their pressure, all over the court, kept us from getting into our offense,” said Rams coach Jeff Breuklander. “We’ve got to execute better on both ends of the floor.”
Other leaders for the Panthers were Stephan Heard, who scored nine points on 4/4 shooting, and Bernard Tyler, who had four steals. Topping the stat box for the Rams were Kierre Beverley, with 11 points, and Alden Darby, who provided the closest thing to a spark the Rams got in the second half, with nine points on 3/5 shooting from the field (2/2 FTs).
Check back tomorrow for our full league standings, and shortly after for our preview of the second half of the Moore League season.