by TCCNN Reporter Randy Pifer
Updated at 11:20 pm on 11/14/16
The Fightin' Reformers, powered by newcomer Ryan LaPierre's 23 points and 5 steals, cruised to a 42-33 victory in their season opener against Earle Street Baptist. "Going against an experienced Earle Street team that returned most of their roster from last year was a stiff test to open the season with" said Hugh Carson. Carson, last years leading scorer, struggled with his shot and finished with just 4 points. The Reformers opened the game strong and built up an early double digit lead. The most lopsided stat was the offensive rebounding by TCC. They were constantly on the boards and getting second chance points with new starting center Jerome Lawson (9 reb) and Randy Pifer (5 reb) doing most of the damage on the glass.
LaPierre hit numerous threes to stretch the defense to open up the inside for Lawson and Carson to get easier shots. Sam Ali provided a huge boost off the bench with timely outside shooting and sealed the game late with two clutch free throws. Jonathan Chasteen, who chose to forgo the optional team practices this summer, also looked sharp.
Perhaps the most surprising fact of the game was that TCC decided to not play a zone defense. This stymied Earle Street. "95% of the teams in this league play a zone, but we feel our athletic abilities far outweigh the other teams and we want to take advantage of that" said Pifer. This was true early on as TCC constantly denied any kind of quality shots to Earle Street and they had to settle for tough contested shots or hope to be bailed out by the referees.
A special thanks to TCC's new Media Specialist Paula Karmin for videoing all of TCC's games this year. Also, The Reformers extend a thank you to AJ Gillespie at Designs Unlimited for designing and preparing the team jerseys.
Next week, TCC travels to St. Giles Presbyterian to play heated rival Fairview Baptist Church in a prime time matchup at 7:30 PM. The TCCNN recommends you arrive early if you want a seat!
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