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Warriors rain in 3-pointers, clamp down on defense to beat Vikings

Regan Hill photo

West Iredell's Matt Harris tries to move the ball past South Iredell defender Zach Leaptrott during Tuesday's game.

By Brad Norman | Statesville R&L

Published: November 26, 2008

West Iredell spent the entire summer getting back to a defense-first philosophy.

The offense certainly hasn't sputtered as a result.

The grind-it-out Warriors displayed a deft touch from the outside Tuesday. Quan Rucker buried five 3-pointers, Zach Follrod hit four 3s and the Warriors pulled away from South Iredell in the second half for a 62-36 victory.

"I've been here nine years and this is by far the most 3-pointers we've hit," West coach Brian Cantrell said. "It was a really good game for us."

Rucker scored 22 for the game and Follrod, a sophomore, had 18.

Follrod played his role to perfection, coming off the bench early in the game to hit open looks and give West (2-0) a spark.

"Zach has done a great job," Cantrell said. "He works really hard and is probably the most basketball-smart kid we've got."

D.J. Duncan led the Vikings (0-2) with nine points, all in the first quarter. The Vikings led early and trailed by eight at halftime before being outscored 36-18 in the second half.

"We came out and played hard in the first half," Vikings coach David Rutledge said. "But my guys were definitely outcoached. When West Iredell is hitting the 3-pointers, they are extremely tough."

Momentum swung for good early in the third quarter. South's Tracy Ramsey hit a short jumper to bring the Vikings within seven, but Rucker hustled up the court and swished a 3-pointer from well behind the line.

That was the start of a 16-3 Warriors run, and West pulled away even more in a sloppy fourth quarter.

Known more for his penetration drive than his jumper, Rucker's shooting display opened up the floor.

The Warriors got decent looks down low when defenders rushed to Rucker, and it also freed up other shooters on the outside.

"When you have Quan shooting and making the 3s, that loosens it up," Follrod said. "I was able to come off the bench and hit some shots, and I think that made it tough on them."