Men's Basketball
Redwoods shows no mercy on Mendo
By Ray Aspuria, The Times-Standard
Nov 22, 2006, 11:47

If one aspect of the team isn't functioning very well another has to compensate. Fortunately for the College of the Redwoods men's basketball team Tuesday night, while they had difficulties offensively, their defense paved the way for a 74-44 victory over Mendocino College.

Just how good was CR's defense? They only allowed Mendocino to score 10 points in the first half.

The Corsairs' Darren Nye, Colt Mathews and Owen Lutje had a big scoring night last Tuesday, each reaching the 20-point mark, but against the Eagles, shots just weren't falling. The trio finished with 12, 10 and 14 respectively. The points leader was Kenneth Goodwin who came off the bench and scored 16 to spark an offense which wasn't its usual self. Goodwin, who is CR's most potent offfensive weapon, is easing his way back into the starting lineup as he continues to nurse a minor knee injury he suffered in the Corsairs' opening tournament of the year.

On the other hand, the Eagles brought with them a 2-1 record and a balanced offense. They're a team that thrives on creating turnovers and scoring fast-break points. Mendocino did create turnovers against the Corsairs but whenever the Eagles thought they had momentum, CR was there to answer.
Due to lackluster ball protection by Nye, Eagles guard Kao Saelee constantly stripped the ball and sprinted towards the basket. He would leap for what appeared to be an easy lay-in and then big Alex Taylor for the Corsairs would swat the ball away.
The Eagles shot the ball 50 times on Tuesday, but only 15 of them went in. The stat-line is a testament to how well the Corsair defense was playing and how bad Mendocino was on offense.

”We didn't play well offensively tonight, but the first half defense kept us in it,” Corsairs head coach Skip Gleason said. “We thought if we could challenge shots, it'd be difficult for them to score.”

Early in the first half, the Corsairs got a taste of how tenacious Saelee was. His constant pressure on Nye would result in a steal and the first score by Mendocino.

”We knew he was quick and takes chances,” Gleason said. “He often leaves his person to get at the ball. I told Darren [Nye] to be more aggressive and when he takes the chance and misses, make him pay for it.”

Both teams were matched very well in terms of speed. Both would get up and down the floor as quickly as the other and the Eagles press defense stymied the Corsair offense early.

But it was simply the theme of the night that caused the downfall for Mendocino, every time they did something great, CR would do it better. The Corsairs came roaring back after the steal with a 3-pointer by Nye. That set the tone in the first half.

With Mendocino pressing the issue on defense, the Corsairs did a little pressuring of their own. Whenever the Eagles attempted to score, there was a Corsair in his face, forcing a bad shot. But even when a Mendocino player was open, the shot was downright ugly, not even touching the rim at times. CR took an 11-2 lead with Mendocino making bad decisions turning into turnovers. Even when Saelee stole the ball from Nye, which he constantly did, his offense offered no help. With Goodwin providing the spark the offense needed, the Corsairs went into halftime with a 24-10 lead.

The “anything you can do, I can do better” theme continued on into the second. The Corsair defense pounded the Eagles offense into submission at times, allowing CR to jump to a 40-21 lead. Saelee, who finished with 14 points, never quit however and caused a few more turnovers to get Mendocino within 10 points of the Corsairs. Too bad no other Eagle could help him. Guard Xavier White was next in line in terms of scoring with nine points.

As the Corsairs kept applying the pressure defensively, causing turnovers, the offense came on in spurts. But that's all CR needed to secure the victory.

The Corsairs improve to 4-2 while Mendocino falls to 2-2.

After two days rest for Thanksgiving, the Corsairs are scheduled to travel to Napa this Friday for the three-day Wine Country Classic Tournament where they meet another tough challenge in Modesto. The team returns home Dec. 2 for the Coach Tregs Corsair Classic tourney.


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