Rebels reign over archrival

South had to wait 24 days to get its shot at redemption after falling to crosstown rival North on Jan. 20, 64-59.

In the return match at North on Feb.13, the Rebels overcame a sluggish first half and three-point halftime deficit to dominate the second half and gain revenge on the Rangers, 73-63.

Trailing, 26-23, at the break, South (12-7, 9-4 WRC) more than doubled its scoring output in the second half and seized control of the game for good in the third quarter.

Rebels senior Norman Hughes, held to just six points in the first half, scored on drives to the hoop several times in the second and hit all six of his free-throw attempts after halftime on his way to a game-high 23 points, matching his jersey number.

“We’ve been working hard in practice and looking forward to this, especially our four seniors,” Hughes said. “We just wanted to play our game, take our time and pace the game.”

The Rebels struggled to 8-for-26 shooting from the field in the first half, often settling for 3-point attempts and only knocking down 2 of 11 from outside the arc.

The second half was a completely different story.

South used stronger defense to get its offense in gear, worked the ball inside to take advantage of its size, and attacked the basket on drives to score nearly at will. The Rebels successfully converted 20 of 23 attempts from the field in the second half (87 percent) to take the lead and gradually pull away.

“We said in the locker room that it was a tale of two halves,” South coach Doug Barber said. “We lost our poise in the first half, but to our credit, I think we grew up in the second half. They made some shots, but we stayed poised and stuck to what we do. It was great offensive execution and great defense on our part. In the second half, the guys did a heck of a job.”

After a foul-plagued first quarter in which the two teams combined to connect on 8 of 26 shot attempts and ended with South ahead, 12-8, North turned the game around in the second frame. The Rangers forced five Rebel turnovers and took the lead for the first time at 13-12 when Jimmy Arnold scored on a feed from Mikey Duleja.

Brandon Barron scored 10 of his team-high 22 points as North (3-17, 2-10 WRC) went into the half with the lead and hopes of a season sweep of its rivals.

South patiently kept pace with North in the third quarter, before making its move toward the end of the frame. Xavier Hopps tied the game at 3434 on an inside bucket, but Barron answered with a 3 for North. South then proceeded to close the quarter on a 12-3 run with five different Rebels scoring, and took a 46-40 lead into the fourth.

The Rebels pushed their lead to 10 points at 52-42 on a drive to the basket by Rico Small and went up 15 points, 65-50, on a Brandon Huff basket. Barron hit six straight from the line to bring the Rangers within single digits again, but a putback by Drew Schoeppler and two from the line by Hughes helped South put the game away.

“We talked to the kids before the game and told them that each team’s going to make their runs,” North coach Rob Koelling said. “It was going to be the team that could answer the other’s run (that would win). In the first half, we held them to 23 points. Then we gave up 23 in the third quarter. It’s got to be the defensive execution and all five guys defending as a unit out there.”

Arnold finished with 14 points for North, and Duleja had five assists. The Rangers shot 45 percent from the field (20 of 44) and 65 percent from the line (11 of 17). But the Rebels controlled the boards, 28-13, and North could not put together enough of a run to regain control in the second half.

“From an offensive standpoint, we got the lead, and it’s easier to be patient and get the kind of looks you want when you’re ahead,” Koelling said. “When you start getting your back pushed against the wall, then you have a tendency to force things and take contested shots and kind of get out of your element. That’s what we did in the third quarter, then we were playing from behind.”

Hopps (15 points), Small (10) and Damion Williams (10) joined Hughes in double figures for South. Mitch Ruple grabbed eight rebounds, and Small brought down seven. South finished with 57 percent shooting from the field (28 of 49) and 76 percent from the line (13 of 17).

“We have great size down low, and very talented kids,” Barber said. “Damion Williams and Xavier Hopps, we were able to get them going in the second half. We got the shots that we wanted, not the shots that they wanted us to take. It’s another win for us and gets us another step in the right direction. I think we’re getting better defensively. We still have a ways to go, but I’m seeing some progress.”

The Rebels, winners of four of their last five games, are eager to prove they may have been a bit undersold with their No. 8 seed in the Division I Euclid District.