Richardson, Bulldogs start strong, don't look back in 77-66 win over Bowsher

BY DONALD EMMONS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Jermul Richardson, left, had a game-high 24 points. Defending for Bowsher are Josh Porter, center, and Dajuan King.

Once Scott's Jermul Richardson pulled up and swished his first shot against Bowsher on Friday night, it was all systems go for the Bulldogs’ senior guard.

Bowsher's Nate Allen, left, drives past Scott's Bryson Collins. Allen scored a team-high 20 points for the Rebels, while Collins finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Richardson went on to score nine straight points to open the game for the Bulldogs and 13 in the first quarter.

Scott's Chris Harris, center, goes up to pass between Bowsher's Dajuan King, right, and Cameron White. All three players finished with 11 points in the City League contest.

His fast start helped Scott avenge an early season loss at Bowsher as the Bulldogs went on to register a 77-66 win before a spirited home crowd for the City League tilt. Richardson finished the contest with a game-high 24 points.

"I just wanted it," Richardson said. "I was anxious, and I was ready to go get it."

The rest of the Bulldogs followed Richardson's lead to hold off the Rebels. They hadn’t forgotten the 99-94 loss at Bowsher back in December.

Bryson Collins, a 6-foot-1 senior, delivered a double-double performance, scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in a game where Scott outplayed Bowsher at the rim. Chris Darrington poured in 12 points and Chris Harris added 11 for Scott, which improved to 7-7 overall and 4-3 in the City League.

"We've figured out our roles now," said Scott coach Chris Dames. "Our youngsters are growing up and playing with confidence, and we're getting after it."

PHOTO GALLERY: Boys Basketball: Bowsher vs. Scott

The Bulldogs held a lead for much of the second half. The Rebels (12-4, 5-2), paced by Nate Allen's team-high 20 points, made runs only to see the Bulldogs promptly respond with runs of their own to keep control of the game's momentum.

Cameron White, Aundre Kizer, Jason Sandridge, and Dajuan King scored 11 points apiece for Bowsher. The Rebels knocked down 11 3-pointers.

But it wasn't enough for the Rebels to win the league road game.

"It seems like they played at home and they were a lot more energized," Bowsher coach Joe Guerrero said of the Bulldogs. "They shot well and we shot poorly. The fact that we shoot a lot of 3s, we can't afford to shoot poorly."

The City League contest got off to a late start due to pregame festivities recognizing some former Bulldogs coaches and student-athletes as part of Scott's centennial celebrations. The event helped create a festive atmosphere the Bulldogs fed off of right from the start.

"They came out with more intensity than us," said White, Bowsher's 6-foot point guard who scored all of his points after halftime. "They came out ready to play.

"We got it going, but they built a lead and it was too late."

Scott closed out the fourth quarter by outscoring Bowsher 28-22. The Bulldogs held off the Rebels by making 12 of 14 foul shots in the fourth quarter. They were 14 of 20 from the foul line for the game, compared to only 3 of 8 for the Rebels.

Richardson's early scoring binge helped Scott finish the opening quarter with a 17-15 lead. The Bulldogs went up by as much as 10 points in the second quarter. Trey Brown scored from close range to give Scott a 29-19 lead with just over two minutes to play in the first half.

Scott went into halftime owning a 29-25 lead over Bowsher.

Allen, who knocked down five 3-pointers in the game, produced 12 points in the first half to keep the Rebels in the contest early on.

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade.