Charleston heats up against Central boys, wins 69-43

~ Charleston used a big second quarter to spark 69-43 win against Central

The Central boys basketball team was looking to make an impression against the state's third-ranked team in Class 3 Tuesday night.

Instead, the Tigers were silenced by a perfect storm.

A lethal combination of turnovers and poor shooting, coupled with Charleston's suffocating defense, turned a close contest into a romp as Charleston pounced all over the Tigers 69-43.

"It was just one of those nights," Central coach Drew Church said, shaking his head after his squad fell to 12-10 on the season. "Charleston is very good. But at any level, you're going to have one of those nights when nothing goes well. They shot well, we couldn't buy one, and we couldn't handle the ball.

Central’s Andre Statam takes a shot over Charleston’s Darrion Carter during the third quarter Tuesday at Central High School. (Fred Lynch)

"It was the perfect storm."

It wasn't that way early as Charleston (22-3) led just 15-13 after one period. But the groundwork for how the game would progress was laid early in the second period, when the Tigers turned the ball over on their first four possessions and the Blue Jays converted each time, a 9-0 run pushing their lead to 24-13.

Central's Jamal Cox scored off a lob pass from Al Young, but the reprieve was short-lived. Charleston's Robert Bogan scored on a fast break, sparking a 9-1 run that included turnovers on six of Central's next seven possessions. By the time Cox converted on an offensive rebound, the Tigers trailed 33-18 on their way to a 36-20 halftime deficit.

"Their transition buckets hurt us bad," Church said. "They are a complete and balanced team. They're hard to guard and they really know how to play."

Any thoughts Central had of getting back into the game were dashed when the Blue Jays opened the third period with an 8-3 run to push their lead to 44-23 midway through the quarter.

Central's Garan Evans drives against Charleston's Ryan Parham during the second quarter Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 at Central High School. (Fred Lynch)

"We kind of took them out of their offense with our defense," Charleston coach Danny Farmer said. "We've been playing good defense lately. We want to play good defense for 32 minutes."

Central had some offensive success when working the ball inside to Cox or forward Andre Statum, who led the Tigers with 11 points. The problem was getting the ball upcourt against the Blue Jays tandem of senior guard Ryan Parham and sophomore guard Delfincko Bogan, who were responsible for the bulk of Central's 30 turnovers.

"We tried to put some pressure on the ball and keep it out of [Cox and Statum's] hands. Cox is tough inside. And we tried to contain [Central guard Garan] Evans. He shot the ball well on us last time."

Charleston's defensive pressure limited Cox to five points and Evans, Central's leading scorer, to six.

"It was real tough," Statam said. "They were hitting all their shots, and nothing was going in for us. We've just got to learn from our mistakes. The way we're playing now shows that we're not going hard enough in practice."

Central’s Khane Booker looks to pass as Charleston’s Sumner Foster defends during the second quarter Tuesday.

Charleston won its third straight game since losing high-scoring Michael Hull to a season-ending foot injury. Farmer said the Blue Jays are learning how to play -- and win -- without their senior guard.

"We had to find our identity after losing Mike," Farmer said. "We had to pull together and do what we had to do to win. That's what we're doing now, learning how to win."

Delfincko Bogan is one of those players picking up the slack. He led the Blue Jays with 17 points.

"Mike was a big part of our offense," he said, noting what the Blue Jays lack offensively they make up for on the defensive end. "It was a big key tonight to put pressure on [Central]."

Charleston 15 21 12 21 -- 69

Central’s Al Young goes for the reach-around pass against Charleston’s Delfincko Bogan during the third quarter Tuesday at Central High School.

Central 13 7 7 16 -- 43

CHARLESTON (69) -- Delfincko Bogan 17, Robert Bogan 3, Ryan Parham 11, Trey Watkins 7, Sumner Foster 14, Shandor Webster 4, Darrion Carter 11, Michael Coleman 2. FG: 28, FT: 10-12, F: 15. (3-pointers: D. Bogan 3. Fouled out: none)

CENTRAL (43) -- Snetrel Blackmon 5, Al Young 5, Khane Booker 1, Garan Evans 6, Chase Haggerty 1, Jamal Cox 5, Mikey Jones 6, Jalen Reddin 3, Andre Statam 11. FG: 15, FT: 11-17, F: 11. (3-pointers: Young 1, Evans 1, Reddin 1. Fouled out: Statam)

JV -- Central won