Game Report: Danville 64 Tri-West 51

<p>With the season coming to a close, I was able to see two top-75 players for the first time of their careers with [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"] of Danville and Alex Coey of Tri-West. Tri-West and their three-headed monster of Dylan Bear, Ethan Depinet, and [player_tooltip player_id="769692" first="Alex" last="Covey"] took their 8-5 record on the road to Danville. The Bruins took down 12-3 Danville in the Monrovia Holiday Tournament earlier in the year. [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"] has come in averaging 22 points per game on the year.</p> <p>Both of these Sagamore Conference teams came in with one loss in the conference, so it was a big game for both of these teams. In the first quarter, [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"] started off the game playing great on offense. He started off with a cut and finish inside, then hit back-to-back triples with a man in his face. He also threw down a big dunk plus the foul later in the quarter. Ruggles would have 11 on 4-4 shooting, and the length of the entire Warriors team made it very tough for the Tri-West offense. Danville led 20-11 after one.</p> <p>In the second quarter, the scoring definitely slowed down quite a bit. However, after only four points in the first three and a half minutes of the quarter, Ruggles hit a pull-up three and got fouled on a three. These two possessions jumpstarted the Warriors’ offense, but after the lead was extended to ten points, Tri-West answered with two threes Drew Miller, a sophomore. Danville would lead 33-31 at the half. Ruggles led the way with 16 and Tyler Dostin added 10 for Danville. For Tri-West, Ethan Depinet led with 8 and Miller added 6.</p> <p>Both teams came out cold to start the second half as only 11 total points were scored in the first six minutes of the half. However, [player_tooltip player_id="1275804" first="Caden" last="Collins"] had a big offensive rebound and putback plus the foul, and he hit a mid-range jumper at the buzzer to help Danville extend their lead quickly out to ten points at 46-36. Ruggles went 0-4 shooting in the third quarter after not missing a shot in the first half, but his teammates stepped up to extend the lead.</p> <p>In the fourth quarter, Danville started off exactly where they left off. They would score two quick buckets to start the quarter and cap off their run at 12-3 as they extended their lead out to 51-39. They would not relinquish this lead that they built up as, although the game seemed like a one-possession game for the entire fourth quarter, Danville was able to hold on to this comfortable lead. They would eventually hold on for a 64-51 victory despite the score not representing how close the game really was.</p> <p>Behind a monster first quarter, [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"] led the way for Danville with 20 points. Tyler Dostin also added a double-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 steals. [player_tooltip player_id="1275804" first="Caden" last="Collins"] added a very good all-around performance with 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. For Tri-West, Ethan Depinet led the way with 19 points and 6 rebounds. Drew Miller kept the Bruins in the game with 12 points on four very timely triples.</p> <p>On Sunday, we will be back with some player evaluations from this game. For now, [player_tooltip player_id="1048732" first="Brady" last="Ruggles"] is the real deal. He just got an offer from Air Force, his only Division 1 offer, which could be huge for him. He has the potential to be a very good college player. [player_tooltip player_id="1275804" first="Caden" last="Collins"] is just a sophomore, but he has athleticism and bounce which is going to make him a very good college prospect. Collins should replace Ruggles as the go-to option for Danville for the next two years.</p>