Central blows out Rutland with big third quarter

For nearly a half, it was close. After that, it was anything but.

Central blew Friday's game against Rutland wide open with an explosive third quarter, going on a game-changing run through the first three-plus minutes of the second half on the way to a 95-70 victory sparked by a 20-2 run to begin the third quarter.

The win keeps the Chargers, now 15-2 and 8-1 in GHSA Region 2-AAA, near the top of the region standings heading into Saturday's game at Southwest.

Rutland (5-11, 4-6) was led by Trey Foster's 25 points and actually led 27-26 early in the second quarter. Central, however, had too much depth, and its effort was led by Kentrevious Jones scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

THREE WHO MATTERED

Jones: Any time a player can reach double figures in two categories, it's usually a sign of a good night. That was the case for Jones. His presence resulted in points and rebounds, and the defensive attention also paid dividends for the Chargers, as it spread out Rutland to open the door for Central to make big shots in the paint and from the perimeter,

Antarius McCoy: With Jones dominating inside, pressure was taken off of the Chargers' outside shooting, and McCoy reaped rewards in a big way, scoring 27 points and draining four 3-pointers. One of his most pivotal shots came late in the second quarter when he drilled a 3-pointer to cap a 9-4 run to end the first half that kept the Chargers lead at double digits. And on a night in which Central took over the game in the third quarter, McCoy also put up big numbers, scoring 15 points during that stretch.

Foster: Rutland stayed with Central for close to a half, and Foster's play was a big reason why as he was able to convert shots from both the outside and off of dribble penetration drives.

TURNING POINT

The Chargers were more than pleased with their ability to put the Hurricanes away coming out of halftime, something that they have struggled to do at times this season. Central put an emphasis on getting the ball inside to Jones, and it turned things greatly in the favor of the Chargers as they began to wear down the Hurricanes and also do more damage from behind the 3-point line, hitting seven shots from long range.

OBSERVATIONS

Getting rest: Central's starters were upbeat near the finish of Friday's game, watching the team's reserves get playing time. That could pay off Saturday in Central's game against Southwest, scheduled to start less than 24 hours after the game against Rutland. Lack of time between region games can cause fatigue factors at times, but thanks to the big margin of victory, the Chargers should be well-rested.

Moving it around: Jones wasn't the only Chargers player with a double-double. Derrick Evans Jr. had 12 points and 17 assists.

Spreading it out: A total of nine Chargers scored at least a point, five reaching double figures. Other than Jones, Evans and McCoy, Dewan Owens had 10 and RaKwon Iverson had 13.

ALSO FRIDAY NIGHT

A cushioned lead helped Central withstand a strong fourth quarter by Rutland's girls to win 56-48 and continue to hold down second place in the region. The Chargers (10-5, 8-1) led by double digits for most of the first three quarters. They were paced by JeNya Wilder's 12 points and 10 from Kamry Hassan. Rutland made it interesting toward the finish, thanks to Breance Davis, who scored 10 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Hurricanes (6-8, 5-5) trailed by single digits with less than two minutes to go by could draw no closer.

THEY SAID IT

Central head coach Andre Taylor on the third quarter: "Coming out of the break, I told them that we wanted to get it inside to Kentrevious and get him started pretty good and get them to collapse down on him pretty good. We knew that once he got the ball there, it would open up shots for us from the outside."

Taylor on the Chargers being able to put the game away: "We've had a tendency to kind of slack off when we have a lead. (On Friday), it was just awesome. We told them before we came out that we can't have a letdown and to pick it up, and they picked it up."

Taylor of being able to rest starters and play reserves: "It's a big thing to be able to get them into the game. Just like Tuesday night, we had four players to foul out, and they never know when they'll have to play, so it's good to have them put in when they've had time and experience in the game. It's good to get them in."

WHAT'S NEXT?

Central travels to Southwest on Saturday while Rutland hosts Westside.

This story was originally published January 15, 2016 at 11:23 PM with the headline "Central blows out Rutland with big third quarter ."