Boys Basketball: Munang Ekoi, stalwart ‘D’ lead Rich Central past South Shore

Updated: December 3, 2011 6:17PM

South Shore had no answer for the full-court press, Marquis Smith, or Munang Ekoi. As a result, Rich Central routed the Tars 67-46 in the second game of the Crete-Monee Shoot-Out on Saturday.

The Olympians (2-4) like to press and did not hold back against South Shore. Before the Tars could catch their breath, they trailed 17-2 late in the first period and had committed nine turnovers.

“We play that 1-3 trap,’’ Rich Central coach Bobby Smith said. ‘‘We played it against Brother Rice and Neuqua Valley as well. We’re trying to reestablish the tradition we had here in the 1980s, a tradition of tough defense.”

To make matters worse for the Tars (1-4), Marquis Smith (12 points, seven rebounds) could not be stopped in the first period. His 6-foot-5 frame and impressive leaping ability made him difficult to handle down low as he scored 10 points in the first quarter against a bewildered South Shore defense.

“We came out with a lot of determination to win today,” Smith said. ‘‘We just saw red, we just smelled blood, and we wanted to finish them early.”

Ekoi also had an fast start, scoring eight points in the first period. In a series of plays in the second quarter, Ekoi (25 points) hit a contested three with 5:21 left in the first half. He then stole the inbounds pass and converted a layup to give the Olympians a 32-11 lead.

“We’re just trying for the ball on every play,” Ekoi said. “We always want the ball and want to score as often and as quickly as possible. That’s why we like creating so many turnovers.”

The third period saw the Tars turn the ball over nine times, as Ekoi added six points in the quarter to give Rich Central a 55-36 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

South Shore, which turned the ball over 31 times in the game, were led by Justin Boyland’s 14 points.

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