Woodland jumps all over Richland (Essex) quickly in hoop rout

MARBLE HILL – So much for momentum in sports meaning much.

The Woodland High School varsity boy’s basketball squad recently concluded its three-day jaunt to the Show Me Center for the annual Southeast Missourian Christmas Tournament with a pair of losses to Notre Dame and Scott City following an opening win over Meadow Heights.

“If you were a Woodland Cardinal fan,” Cardinal coach Shawn Kinder said of the holiday tournament, “then you couldn’t have been very satisfied.”

While Kinder’s kids were struggling (to a degree), Richland (Essex) was enjoying its most successful run in the annual Bloomfield Christmas Tournament in two decades, having grabbed wins against Twin Rivers, Dexter, and Portageville, as the Rebels claimed fifth place in the event.

The only loss for fifth-year Richland (Essex) coach Matt Cline’s club came against the tournament’s top seed, Puxico.

“We were anticipating Richland coming in here ready to go,” Kinder said following his team’s game with the Rebels in Marble Hill on Tuesday, “They had a pretty good streak down there in the Bloomfield Tournament.”

So, naturally, the Cardinals opened Tuesday’s tilt by scoring the game’s initial 17 points en route to a 22-7 first-quarter margin, before ultimately winning 75-57.

“We didn’t really listen very well to what we were supposed to be doing here,” Cline said following the loss. “We gave (Woodland) too many runouts, and when they ran from one end of the floor all the way down, nobody got in front of anybody.”

This Rebel squad is statistically the best defensive team that the program has produced in over 15 seasons, but on Tuesday, none of that was evident.

Woodland drivers had clear paths to the rim over and over and over.

“I don’t know if we hit the floor for a charge all night,” Cline continued. “With all of their dribble penetration, we never stepped over to help. Our help defense was awful.”

Despite the Rebels (8-4) poor play in a myriad of manners, they cut their deficit to eight points in the second quarter, as junior guard Hunter Sanders and sophomore guard Gary Tilley scored 13 of their team’s 19 points in the period.

“Basketball is a game of runs,” Kinder said. “We started out with intensity and got a few easy baskets. Once the rhythm and the momentum stopped, we kept rushing shots and we had a few bad turnovers, which converted to easy buckets.

“Quick shots usually convert to easy buckets at the other end.”

Kinder got his team back on track following halftime, as the Cardinals (9-3) obliterated Richland (Essex) 25-10 in the third quarter. During the stretch, seven different Woodland players contributed offensively, as the hosts were never threatened again.

“Richland is a good ballclub,” Kinder said. “We just hit them, a little bit, with our defensive pressure.”

The Cardinals placed four players in double figures, led by senior Reed Layton and sophomore Korbin Kinder, both of whom had 14 points.

Woodland senior Brayden Hastings and junior Lane Lee added 13 points each in the win while senior Trae Cook chipped in eight points.

Tilley hit three 3-pointers and sank 7 of his 8 free throws to score a game-high 20 points while Sanders (13 points) and junior forward Tucker Hughes (eight points) also contributed for the Rebels.

The Cardinals will host Kelly (10-2) on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Richland (Essex) will host Delta (Deering) (1-3) at the same time and date.