By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BUCHANAN – When you come into a game focused on your game plan, good things happen. For the Buchanan varsity basketball team, it was a 62-50 Lakeland Conference victory over Coloma Friday night on the Bucks' home floor.
Derek Anglero and Marquis Hall combined for 43 of Buchanan's 62 points, with Anglero meshing 22 and Hall picking up 21.
The Bucks (7-7, 3-5 LAC) raced to a 20-10 first quarter lead as the Bucks confidence grew with each shot as five different players scored in the first eight minutes. Coloma (5-8, 4-5 LAC) cut the lead to five early in the second before the Hall went on a 7-0 run for the Bucks in a four minute span to take a 27-15 lead.
The key for the Bucks in the game was that they limited their turnovers to just four in the first half and kept the rebounding even with the Comets.
"We did a good job taking care of the ball in the first half," Buchanan coach Reid McBeth said. "Brad (Burns) was disappointed with just the way he took care of the ball in the fourth quarter. A part of it was they put the pressure on, but also I think our kids relaxed when we got up by 18."
Coloma had nine miscues in the first half and held the edge on the boards 15-14.
"The first time around, (a 50-44 loss) they killed us on the boards," McBeth said. "We always have a sheet with some focuses and one was making good decisions with the ball and the other was to try and keep them off the glass," McBeth said. Buchanan finished the night with a 29-23 rebound advantage.
The Bucks turned up the heat in the third quarter out scoring the Comets 16-7 to build 19 point lead by the end of the quarter led by Anglero who scored nine in quarter.
Coloma came out in the fourth with a strong full court press that caused the Bucks to cough up the ball seven times which allowed the Comets to cut into the Buck lead and trail by 11 with just under four minutes to play. With 53 seconds left on the clock, the Bucks were hanging on to a nine point lead. But it was to little to late for the Comets as the Bucks came away with the 12 point win.
Jeff Gargano scored 16 for the Comets, nine in the fourth quarter, and Derryle Miller finished the night with 10.
"We have to understand that we are not good enough to relax and we have to play a full four quarters," McBeth said.
Buchanan fell in the junior varsity contest 57-55 with Evan Cauffman finishing the game with 15 to lead the Bucks. C.J. Roman had 25 for the Comets.
The Buchanan freshman came away with a 55-51 victory as Phillip Donald scored 16 for the Bucks and Isaiah Casnave hit for 24 for the Comets.
Coloma 10 17 24 50
Buchanan 20 27 43 62