Box Score New Wayland Baptist basketball coach
Ty Harrelson said he felt "excited," but not nervous, shortly before his team took the floor at Hutcherson Center for his Pioneers coaching debut Friday night. Harrelson's excitement was sustained throughout as the 12
th-ranked Pioneers rolled over the Dallas Christian College Crusaders, 111-68.
Playing the second game of the Pioneer Tip-Off Classic, Wayland (1-0) dominated from the beginning on defense and wound up forcing 26 turnovers and holding the Crusaders (0-1) to 33 percent shooting. They also put lots of pressure on Dallas Christian's seven-foot center Ivan Rangel, forcing him out of the game with five fouls early in the second half.
"We were able to keep pressure on him," Harrelson said. "He only played nine minutes."
On the offensive end, the Pioneers shot 55 percent from the field, with 40 points off of turnovers and 26 on fast breaks. Another key for their scoring was the rebounding edge they had over the Crusaders, 53-40.
"Winning the rebounds is key," Harrelson said. "We really battled to win the rebounds tonight."
Harrelson got tremendous effort from junior guard
Maurice Redmond, who finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and four assists.
"He was the best player on the court tonight all-around," Harrelson said.
Also a key contributor was junior transfer from Clarendon College,
Marcus Ellison, who finished with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
"Marcus played well off the bench," Harrelson said. "He changed the game for us."
Returning seniors
Jordon Johnson and
Robert Waters came up big as usual. Waters had a game-high 27 points, three rebounds, three assists and a steal, while Johnson had 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal.
"(Waters) had 27 points in 27 minutes," Harrelson said. "Johnson can do anything from point guard to center for us."
Wayland put forth a complete team effort as every Pioneer who got on the floor scored at least three points.
"We were able to spread the minutes around," the coach said.
Dallas Christian hung tough the first 11 minutes of the game, trailing just 26-20, before Wayland began to pull away. The Pioneers outscored the Crusaders 24-5 over the next seven minutes to take a commanding 25-point lead, and it was never close again. Wayland was up at the half by 21, 56-35.
It was the most points scored by Wayland since a 112-84 win over former Sooner Athletic Conference member Northwood during the 2013-14 season.
The Pioneers next play at 7:30 p.m. Saturday against the Southwestern Adventist Knights, who lost their season-opener to kick off the Classic to the University of the Southwest (N.M.) Mustangs, 105-77. The Knights were led by freshman guard Travis Gagau, who scored 36 points.
"Travis is a good player and tough competitor," Harrelson said. "We need to be prepared for him."
University of the Southwest and Dallas Christian square off at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
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