Rams buck Royals in cross-state boys’ basketball action
Delmarva Christian kept things close through one half of basketball against Parkside Dec. 16, but the visiting Rams opened things up coming out of halftime for a 61-35 win.
“I think our youth showed a little bit today; we’ve just got to figure out how to play a complete game from beginning to end, and today, we just didn't do it,” said Royals coach Marc Hannah. “Hats off to Parkside – they came, they were hungry, and they out-hustled us.”
Following 16 minutes of basketball, Parkside led 29-20, pulling away in the closing minutes of the second quarter. Seeming to feed off that momentum, the Rams opened the third quarter scorching hot and dictated the kind of up-and-down tempo their guys were comfortable in.
Parkside’s run lasted the length of the quarter, and their 30-4 advantage in the frame gave the visitors a 59-24 lead going into the fourth. Both teams phased in their second units in the last eight minutes, with the final result no longer in doubt.
Playing like they had something to prove, Delmarva Christian ran a full-court press the entire fourth quarter and nearly shut out Parkside, allowing a layup with seconds left on the clock. Sophomore Jay Parrish and senior Malachi Light led the offense to 11 points each, contributing to the Royals' relentless pressure on the Rams.
“There's some positive to carry on from that, but I think it's also, ‘How do we do that in the first?’” Hannah said.
Despite the 61-35 loss, Hannah is optimistic about his squad and thinks there are things he needs to do to help.
“As a coach, I got to figure out what I got to do better, and we got to figure this thing out,” Hannah said. “We got a good team. I believe in these guys, but we just got to put together a complete game.”
