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Ridgewood Defense Smothers Wharton

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By CLIFF GILL, Tribune correspondent

Published: February 15, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - Ridgewood used a stifling defense to stop Wharton and win the Class 5A-Region 2 quarterfinal 58-36.

Both teams came into the game on a positive note, with the Wildcats (15-14) winning 12 of their last 14 games and the Rams (24-3) riding a 14-game winning streak.

Before the game, both coaches stressed that the better defense would prevail.

"We have to come out and play aggressive defense from the start. We have seen them play twice and know they are quick, so slowing them down with good defense is crucial," said Gary Anders. The Rams' coach is in his 22nd year, and his team is in the regionals for the fourth consecutive season.

"The keys to our game is great defense when they bring the ball up, rebounding and getting into transition," said Comer Copeland, the Wildcats' first-year coach.

Four minutes into the game, the Rams forced seven turnovers on the Wildcats' first 10 possessions. Leading the effort for the Rams were senior guards Alvin Satram and Mike Lawrence. Satram had three steals, and Lawrence had two.

After a timeout midway through the first quarter, the Wildcats seemed to settle down, scoring on two of their next three possessions. The first quarter ended with the Rams leading 11-6.

The Rams started the second quarter with a 9-0 run, with Lukas Poderis scoring seven. Down 20-6, Copeland called a timeout and told his team to "work the ball." Better passing by guards Chris Jean-Louis and Zach Litton led to eight straight Wildcats points.

The second half started much like the first, with Satram pressuring the guards and forcing the Wildcats into nine turnovers on their first 12 possessions. The Rams broke the game open with 3:30 remaining when Satram fed Poderis for a thunderous dunk, making the score 32-16. The teams traded baskets for the rest of the game.

In addition to his eight steals, Satram held the high-scoring Jean-Louis to eight points on 3 of 16 shooting through three quarters.

"I just played him with everything I had. I respected his shooting and passing abilities and stayed as close to him as I could," said Satram afterward.

Following the game, Anders was satisfied that his team followed his instructions.

"I told them to break the defense into two-minute segments, then reward yourself with easy baskets. If they put their hearts into playing defense for two minutes, good things will happen," Anders said.

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