Burlington Central knocks off Mendota
Leading 20-7 late in the first quarter, Burlington Central’s boys basketball team appeared on its way to a blowout against Mendota Friday night on Rocket Hill.
The blowout never happened, but the Rockets maintained a comfortable margin throughout and held on for a 74-62 win in the Big Northern crossover.
Ryan Ritchie had 26 points and Ray Hunnicutt added 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Rockets (13-9). Hunnicutt’s total puts him at 1,419 career points and moves him into second place on the school’s all-time scoring list. He passed 2002 graduate Andrew Nolan (1,404) Friday and now stands just 86 points from passing 1995 alum Gavin Schairer to become the school’s all-time leading scorer.
“I love home court because we practice on it everyday and I’m used to it,” said Ritchie, who nearly matched his season high of 28. “I love the fans and the student section. It makes me want to play harder.”
While the Rockets never got the big run they needed to put the game away, they never let the Trojans make one, either. Burlington’s lead varied between 7 and 16 for the final three quarters.
“We played well in spurts,” said Rockets’ coach Brett Porto. “I think we had some nice runs at times, but we never had the finishing blow that we wanted. There were some positive things. We’re just trying to get more of those spurts into a complete game.”
With Hunnicutt penetrating and Ritchie hitting from outside, the Rockets weren’t bothered by an occasional defensive lapse. The 5-foot-11 Hunnicutt was also a demon on the boards, as the Rockets outrebounded the visitors 40-26.
“He’s a really strong, physical player,” said Porto. “That’s what I’ve asked him to do for two years now because I don’t necessarily have a couple of monsters down there just to rebound. He does a great job of it.”
Mendota featured a classic inside-outside combination. Trae Blumhorst had 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Ross Arteaga scored 24 points, shooting from everywhere but the parking lot.
After a Blumhorst putback got Mendota to within 57-49 midway through the fourth, the Rockets answered with a 9-1 run to match their biggest lead of the night
Keith Creal had 6 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, Duncan Ozburn grabbed 6 boards and Bryce Warner added 5 points for the Rockets.