Keeping everything in perfect balance
Four double-figure scorers pave the way for Red Rovers’ win
Ben Childs said what he witnessed in the first half Saturday night from his Easton High boys basketball team might have been the best half of basketball by the Red Rovers in his seven seasons as coach.
If Easton could bottle the performance, Childs might be in for the best season of his career.
The Red Rovers rolled to a 43-22 halftime lead, withstood a strong third quarter by host Liberty and pulled away again for an 84-68 Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Steel Division win.
Easton completed a 3-0 week after opening up the season with a loss to District 3 power Wilson West Lawn.
Sophomore Aaron Clark, who missed several weeks of practice and the first two games with an ankle injury, has lived up to his billing as one of the area’s best players. He followed a 26-point effort against Allen on Thursday with a 25-point display.
Clark had four 3-pointers, giving him 12 in two games, and was part of a fast-paced, balanced attack that was difficult to slow down.
“Sharing the basketball, making the extra pass … we played really well in the first half,” Childs said. “We had a lot of assists. Aaron hasn’t missed a beat, but we had four guys in double figures tonight. We have a lot of positives.”
Clark said it didn’t take long to fit back in with his friends after missing much of the preseason.
“It feels great to be back,” said Clark, a 6-foot-3 swingman. “I was anxious to get back and win games. We’ve been playing together all summer and working hard in practice to get that connection, and it didn’t take long for me to fit in with the team.”
Pushing the ball up the floor, the Rovers came at Liberty in waves.
Nashawn Johnson had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Hewey chipped in 14 points and six assists. Ryan Boylan, now within 15 points of 1,000 in his career, scored 18.
Easton made eight 3-pointers and was crisp at the foul line, going 16-for-19.
If there was a flaw, it was a ragged stretch in the third quarter when the Rovers got sloppy and Liberty (3-2, 1-2 EPC) took advantage.
The Hurricanes closed the third period with an 18-2 run to trim a 56-30 deficit to 58-48.
They also scored the first three points of the final stanza.
But Johnson scored eight points, Clark had seven and Boylan chipped in six in the fourth quarter to avoid a total collapse.
“We got a little lackadaisical with the ball,” Childs said. “We tried to start the second half with a 0-0 mentality. We knew Liberty was going to go on a run at home. I just wished we didn’t help their run so much.”
Will Harper sparked the Hurricanes rally with 12 of his 20 points in the third quarter and Rahmad Ali scored 10 of his 16 in the fourth.
Joe Barnes chipped in 18 for Liberty, but it wasn’t enough.
“The best thing about our kids tonight was they didn’t quit,” Hurricanes coach Chad Landis said. “We challenged them at halftime and they came out and did what we wanted much better in the second half.
“Easton is really good on any night, but they were really terrific tonight. In that first half, they were really good on offense and we couldn’t get in their way enough to stop them.”
Liberty is back in action at Dieruff on Tuesday and Easton hosts unbeaten Freedom.