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BOYS BASKETBALL: Ridgewood's Inside Game Too Much For Wesley Chapel

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By EDDIE DANIELS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 8, 2009

WESLEY CHAPEL - Thursday night was a classic case of an opponent being force-fed.

Ridgewood's guards used a bevy of inside passes – forcing the ball underneath to their big men - against Wesley Chapel's defenders en route to a lopsided, 74-45, victory. The successful ploy netted center Lukas Poderis 25 points, while forwards Bryan and Charles Jones each had 15.

"It seems like they've been doing that to everybody," Wesley Chapel coach Doug Greseth said. "They're good in all phases. They shoot the ball well, they're good in transition, they're an experienced team and we're an inexperienced. We're a team that lost nine seniors and five starters.

"When they start getting on a roll, it's hard to stop them. We tried to give some back side help and even when we got back side help, we couldn't stop them. I've got a pretty good idea of what they're going to do and even when you know what they were going to do it's hard to strop."

The victory keeps the Rams (14-2) undefeated in Class 5A-District 7 play (5-0) and lengthens its win streak to 13.

Ridgewood coach Gary Anders found very little to gripe about and was enthused with the team's overall effort. One of the major points he touched on was the fact his group didn't allow themselves to fall into a lull, opening a door for a Wesley Chapel (6-8, 2-4) comeback.

"That's not easy and I thought we did a good job of coming out in the third quarter," Anders said. "Obviously, we talked about that at halftime. Don't let up. Yes, the game's under control, but you're trying to play for the season. You're trying to keep building to get better and better."

From the start Ridgewood attempted to assert its dominance inside. The very first points of the night came on a laced pass underneath the basket to Poderis. With the attention going inside, Jacob Rauh connected on a 3-point shot at the top of the arc for a 9-4 advantage.

Ridgewood guard Alvin Satram was one of the benefactors of the Rams' dominant inside play. The senior, who finished with 15 points, took open shots from the outside and when defenders found themselves concerned with the whereabouts of Poderis or Charles Jones, Satram penetrated.

"It was good team basketball," Poderis said. "Everyone contributed. It was a good win."

By the end of the first period, the Rams compiled a 27-9 advantage. Making matters worse was the nearly four-minute scoring drought Wesley Chapel endured during the last portion of the opening period. Ridgewood didn't rest on their laurels either, fattening their lead and entering the half ahead, 49-20.

The Wildcats opened up the second half with a more focused performance, outscoring the Rams, 8-4, and tightening the gap, 53-28. Charles Jones' seven points in a two-minute stretch, in addition to Poderis' four in that same amount of time, quelled the Wildcats attempts at a serious threat.

Jordan Mitchell led Wesley Chapel with 13 points, while teammates Daniel Rivera collected 11 and Tommy Roland added 10.

Wesley Chapel heads to Mitchell Tuesday, while Ridgewood travels to River Ridge that same night.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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