ERKINS-FORD FEEDS ON CHALLENGE
Forward Emondrek Erkins-Ford is still looking for his first Division I offer. If the long, athletic Bloom senior keeps playing the way he did Friday night, it may come sooner rather than later.
Matched up against Illinois recruit Ty Rodgers and No. 10 Thornton, Erkins-Ford scored a game-high 14 points in Bloom’s 49-48 Southland win in Harvey.
“It was real intense,” Erkins-Ford said. “I just like competing against one of the top players in the country.
“I can’t stop smiling. I lost my voice and all.”
The 6-8 Erkins-Ford added three rebounds and a three-pointer in a game of runs.
“He’s probably one of the best unsigned seniors left as far as shotblocking, as far as being a stretchfour type of player,” Bloom coach Dante Maddox said. “He continually blocks shots and alters shots . . . . When he plays with a motor like this, it really helps our team.”
Said Erkins-Ford: “Going up against Ty Rodgers, I just felt like that really brought out the best in me.”
Bloom (5-2, 2-0) went on an 11-0 run en route to a 28-25 halftime lead and had a 13-0 surge to go up 41-30 after three quarters. Rodgers, who didn’t take a shot in the second and third quarters, started asserting himself in the fourth quarter to rally Thornton (4-2, 1-1).
Erkins-Ford hit one of two free throws with 17.2 seconds left to put
Bloom up 49-48. Thornton had a chance to win, but Kelsey Tarver missed a dunk with time winding down, and Bloom’s Raeshom Harris grabbed the rebound and dribbled out the clock.
Bloom also had 11 points off the bench from sophomore Gianni Cobb, who hit two big three-pointers at the end of the third quarter.
“This was the biggest game I’ve ever been in,” Cobb said. “All I wanted to do was . . . pass the ball and make sure my team was involved.”
Noted Maddox: “Gianni is big-time. Gianni Cobb is somebody, in a couple years, people are going to talk about as soon as his mind matures with his game . . . . He’s learning . . . . Gianni could start for us. He’s humble enough to fill in his spot when we need it.”
Rodgers finished with a doubledouble of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
“We needed him to be more selfish,” Thornton coach Tai Streets said. “He’s so unselfish by nature. But sometimes we just need him to . . . just take over this game.”
Montreal McCullough scored 13 points for Thornton. Tarver had 11.
“Give Bloom credit — they came in here and won,” said Streets, who didn’t fault Tarver for missing the late dunk. “It [doesn’t] come down to that play. We got down too much. We had to fight all the way back . . . . He’ll make that 99 out of 100 times. But best not [to] get in that position.
“I hate to lose more than anybody. But let’s get it over with now, hopefully.”