Bevill State Rolls Past Enterprise-Ozark in Opener
11-03-2009
Rick Bolling promised an up-tempo offense heading into Monday night’s season opener.
The Bevill State-Walker College Bears delivered.
The Bears used a pair of first-half runs to build a big lead en route to a 94-57 rout of Enterprise-Ozark at Glen Clem Gymnasium.
“I was very nervous about the game,” said Bolling, the Bevill State head coach, who admitted to having butterflies before the opening tip. “We didn’t know how good Enterprise was. We went in blind.”
Bolling didn’t have to worry for long.
Bevill State went on a 20-6 run midway through the first half. Another surge late in the half put the Bears up by 23 points at halftime.
The Bears (1-0) coasted through the second half.
All 16 Bevill State players scored in the contest and each saw significant playing time with Bolling constantly changing lineups throughout the game.
“I was excited that all 16 players got to play and contributed,” Bolling said. “We really needed a game like this. It’s opening night and everyone’s got jitters.”
Bolling, in his second stint as the Bears’ head coach, started the four returning players from last year’s team: McClain Burrough, Pat Carr, Terry Randle and Allen Rigsby.
The Bears finished 9-22 last season under former coach Al Blanton.
“I love these sophomores. They deserved to start because they chose to come back and play. They didn’t know me, but they came back to a school where they struggled a little bit last year. They could have gone somewhere else, but they didn’t,” he said.
Bolling was pleased with Monday’s attendance.
“We had a great crowd. I’m so proud of the people turning out. That got me excited. It was a great atmosphere,” he added.
The game was back-and-forth through the first seven minutes.
At the 12:50 mark of the first half, a basket by Enterprise’s Jarrel Whitehead cut Bevill’s lead to 13-11. The Bears followed with a 24-6 run that put the Boll Weevils away.
Eight different players scored in the spurt, which was started by a pair of Brian Smith scores. After a Randle basket, Jaime Jemison scored on a putback and Richard Nasseri drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key.
Smith then came up with a steal at half-court and threw down a dunk for a 26-16 lead. Chile Kabiya helped close the run. He knocked down a 3-pointer at the 2:37 mark then found Nasseri open on a long outlet pass for a score and a 37-17 advantage.
The Bears closed the half on an 8-1 run. Mike Murray scored a pair of baskets and both Smith and Nasseri adding scores for a 45-22 halftime lead.
“We are going to try to wear the other team out and I think Enterprise was worn out by the end of the half. We just rotate the bench and keep throwing it at them. Eventually, that will wear a team down,” Bolling said.
It was more of the same in the second half. Bevill State opened the half with a 10-4 run that came to an end on a Rigsby dunk that made the score 55-26 at the 17:22 mark.
Bevill’s biggest lead came at 91-52 when Marcus Reese made a pair of free throws with two minutes remaining.
Smith, who had 10 points in the first nine minutes, led the Bears with 19 points. Murray had 10, Nasseri added nine, Carr put in eight, both Randle and Jemison pitched in six while Anderson Jones, Kabiya and James Davis added four.
“We stunk and still got 94 points,” Bolling said. “We didn’t shoot the ball well and couldn’t make free throws. I thought we played well defensively. If we give up less than 60 points a game, we will have a chance to win every ball game.”
For Enterprise, which is coached by former Auburn star and NBA player Wesley Person, Whitehead had 12 points and both Chris Blount and James Lodman added nine. Former Cordova High School player Kodi Hamilton was held scoreless.
Next up for the Bears is a road game at Southern Union on Nov. 9.
Bevill State will return home for a game against No. 1 Chipola (Fla.) on Nov. 12.
Johnathan Bentley
Sports Editor
Tuesday, November 2, 2009
Reprinted by permission of Daily Mountain Eagle
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