Tigers’ balance presents ‘nice problem’

Charleston boys coach B.J. Ross is used to having good scorers on his team, but not as many as the Tigers enjoy this year.

Charleston (14-5, 9-1 4A/3A District 5) had four players finish in double figures Tuesday night in an 81-73 victory over Waldron that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated. The Tigers led 58-42 after three quarters and had two of their starters foul out in the fourth.

“Every night, we have four players finish in double figures,” Ross said. “And there is no jealousy among these players, so that’s what makes it so hard for teams to guard us. I’ve not had this kind of problem before, but it’s nice.”

There could have been a bad situation early in the season, but it was easily averted. Ross moved Chase Ewing, an all-state point guard last season, to the shooting guard spot, and sophomore post Brayden Ross — the coach’s son — took scoring opportunities away from Ewing with some high numbers early in the season.

Ewing took the moves in stride, and while his scoring average has dropped some, B.J. Ross said he’s become a more productive player on the team. Brayden Ross, Jacob Green and Blaine Rowland also average in double figures, while Brayden Caudle has embraced his role as the sixth man when the elder Ross said he could start for any team in this district.

“This is a good little bunch,” B.J. Ross said. “The chemistry is good, and this is a team that wants to win. I think we have a chance to make a deep run into the state tournament if we can avoid injuries and keep progressing like we should.”

Charleston, which played Thursday against Mansfield, has three other regular-seaosn games remaining before postseason play begins. The Tigers have already clinched the top seed in the 3A-1 West Conference tournament, which will be played in Greenland.