Oak Ridge wastes little time putting away Zalma

OAK RIDGE, Mo. -- Forget lacking focus on homecoming.

Oak Ridge exploded out of the gates and Zalma never stood a chance Friday night.

The Blue Jays enjoyed a double-digit lead before the Bulldogs scored on their way to a 76-40 victory in boys basketball.

"It was nice to come out and hit some shots," Oak Ridge junior Brett Thomas said. "We had a really tough time knocking them down against Leopold. It just makes life so much easier when you knock down shots. It opens up inside then you kick it back outside."

The Blue Jays (9-3) opened the game on a 20-5 run and pushed their lead to 25 points by halftime. Thomas scored 14 points and Garret Light 17 in the opening half. Oak Ridge connected on 59 percent (16 of 27) of its shots in the first half.

Zalma's Stephen Simmers is surrounded by Oak Ridge defenders Lauren Meyer, left, and Jacob Light on Friday. (Fred Lynch)

While Oak Ridge's offense fired on all cylinders, its defense suffocated Zalma's top two scorers. Junior Justin Stotts averages 26 points a game for the Bulldogs, but he was held to two points -- a pair of free throws -- in the first half. Zalma's other dangerous offensive weapon, junior Stephen Simmers, had six points at halftime.

"We really wanted to focus on keeping both of them under 20," Oak Ridge coach Adam Stoneking said. "If we could keep both of them under 20, we knew we'd have a chance to win at the end. We did a triangle-and-two, where the top guy went and doubled any time they caught the ball. Not trying to steal it or trap, but just to make them get rid of it. We thought as long the ball wasn't in their hands, they weren't making plays or shooting, we thought we could really push them."

Life didn't get any easier for Stotts or Simmers in the second half. Both players finished with 10 points.

"We knew we had to stop them and make other players step up and hit big shots," Light said.

Stotts shot 33 percent (4 of 12) from the field, while Simmers shot 40 percent (4 of 10).

"Every time I went to drive, the top of that triangle would come over and just stop me from going in," Stotts said. "We didn't have anybody moving up and our offense was slow, which turned into the defense being slow."

The constant double teams took a toll on Stotts. He often was forced to dish to a teammate to relieve Oak Ridge's defensive pressure.

"This is the first time that it's happened," Stotts said. "I just couldn't get my shots. It was a rough night. They were everywhere. They guarded me from one end of the court to the other. We didn't have very good ball movement."

Thomas said he's seen Stotts and Simmers take over games in the past and he wasn't going to let it happen Friday.

"Those are two of the best players I've ever played with," Thomas said. "I've played with them since I was in third grade. ... They're two of the most prolific scorers in the area. To hold them to 10 points each, I give all the credit to our guards who guarded them all night long."

Oak Ridge capitalized on Zalma's frustrated offense by scoring easy baskets in transition. The Blue Jays shot a blistering 62 percent (8 of 13) from the floor in the second quarter. They didn't take their foot off the gas in the third quarter as they connected on 53 percent (10 of 19) of their shots.

"They moved the ball really well and shot well," Stotts said.

Zalma 8 13 11 8 -- 40

Oak Ridge 21 25 24 6 -- 76

ZALMA (40) -- Austin Sitze 3, Stephen Simmers 10, Thad McGregor 4, Jake Reed 4, Gage Lemons 9, Justin Stotts 10. FG 17, FT 4-9, F 17. (3-pointers: Sitze 1, Lemons 1. Fouled out: none)

OAK RIDGE (76) -- Garret Light 21, Brett Thomas 24, Caleb Elam 14, Jacob Light 5, Logan Mangels 7, Lucas Rohde 1, Stephen Bolen 4. FG 28, FT 15-25, F 13. (3-pointers: Elam 3, G. Light 1, Mangels 1. Fouled out: none)