Randallstown usually savors any victory over longtime Baltimore County rival Woodlawn. Last night's 82-76 win, however, wasn't one of them.
After exerting little effort in building a 22-point advantage after nearly three quarters, the third-ranked Rams boys basketball team needed every ounce of energy in the final eight minutes to repel a rally by the No. 20 Warriors.
"I'm not pleased with the way we closed," Randallstown coach Kim Rivers said. "It's a good learning experience. It's something that will help us down the road."
Senior All-Metro guard Levi Stukes led all scorers for Randallstown (5-0) with 25 points along to go with seven rebounds and five steals. Terrance Breaux contributed 19 points and five rebounds. Thomas Hickson led the Warriors (0-3) with 20 points, and Lance Fuller had 11.
Woodlawn pulled to within 78-73 with 62 seconds remaining before Randallstown converted four of six free throws to secure its 40th victory in 41 games. Stukes said the defending county champion lost its focus.
"It wasn't really rough. We just made it rough on ourselves," Stukes said. "We thought it was over in the third quarter and we got lackadaisical. They creeped back in and once everybody got back into it, we were only up by 10."
Though Stukes is the focal point of the Rams' attack, his teammates helped keep Woodlawn at bay after their Liberty Road-area rival scored 13 of the first 15 points in the final quarter to cut the deficit under double digits for the first time since the end of the first quarter. Senior guard Vincent Carter-Bey sandwiched a three-pointer between two blocks by Jamel Raymond, extending Randallstown's cushion to 77-65.
A free throw by Breaux had Randallstown up 80-75 with 16 seconds left, but he missed the second. Carter-Bey (10 points and three assists) got to the loose ball and was fouled. His two free throws with 10 seconds left put the game out of reach.
"We knew from our experiences last year - like from the Mayor's Tournament when they ran box-in-ones and double-teamed Levi - that this was going to be the case the next two seasons," Breaux said. "We knew we had to start stepping up and playing our roles, and when something happens, we have to do our part."
Stukes set the tone for the Rams in the first half, scoring 14 points as they enjoyed a 48-34 halftime advantage. Randallstown controlled the Warriors on the offensive boards with 10 second chances. The Rams kept attacking in the third quarter, building their largest lead, 72-50, late in the period on a layup by Aundre Jordan.
"You focus on Levi, and then these kids, they're so athletic," Woodlawn coach Eddie Green Jr. said. "They know their roles, they know who their main player is and they play off him."