A little offense carries Indians past Rams in defensive matchup

January 21, 2012

Riverside Josh Davis (34) and Jordan Wood battle for a rebound in first half action on Friday.

In a game where points were at a premium, the Colville Indians went on a 9-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to secure a 51-47 win over the Riverside Rams on Friday.
The Rams (0-7, 4-13) trimmed the Indian lead to 36-32 on a Logan Owens’ 3-pointer with 6:10 remaining.
Colville (5-2, 11-7) retaliated with baskets by Matt Hubbard, JR. Henry and Taylor Murto and a 3-pointer by Henry over the 3:30 to stretch the lead back to 45-32.
The Rams, who only shot 32 percent from the floor, tried to get back into the game, only to see the Indians stay a step ahead over the last 2:49.
While the offensive surge gave the Indians some breathing room, it was the defense that carried them for the first three quarters.
Neither team could build much of a lead in the first half. The Rams led 19-15 following an Owens’ 3-pointer in the opening minute of the second quarter, only to see the Indians tie the game 19-19 on a Henry long range field goal.
Colville took a 27-21 lead early in the third quarter only to see Riverside tie the game a short time later on a Tyler Axtell lay-up.
The Indians took the lead for good at 30-27 on a field goal and free throw by Alex Pond with 2:40 remaining in the third quarter.
Pond would hit another basket to give Colville a 33-29 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Rams remained close in the opening minutes of the final stanza before the Indians 9-0 run gave them some breathing room for the final 5:25 of the game.
Hubbard led all scorers with 16 points, while Axtell paced the Rams with 14 points.