Tiger eighth-graders demolish El Dorado Springs

Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Matt Resnick/Daily Mail/ Nevada forward Kayden Ast shoots a jumper during Monday night's game at Nevada Middle School. Ast led all scorers with 12 points.

Nevada Daily Mail

The Nevada Tigers eighth-grade boys' basketball team crushed the El Dorado Springs Bulldogs 52-29 Tuesday night at Nevada Middle School.

With the victory, Nevada improves to 5-1.

Matt Resnick/Daily Mail/ Nevada eighth-grader Peyton Denney goes up for two, Monday night at Nevada Middle School.

With 2:16 remaining in the first quarter, point guard Bronson Smith hit forward Matt Thompson, who knocked down an open 3-pointer from the left wing, putting the Tigers on top 9-2.

Nevada's next four points came courtesy of forward Kayden Ast, who scored on spin moves in the post on back-to-back possessions, handing the Tigers a 13-4 advantage with 1:18 left to play in the first quarter.

Nevada guard Carter Swearingen closed out the first quarter with a pair of free throws, to put Nevada in front 15-4.

The Tigers began the second frame on a 10-2 run, capped by Jayden Ast's steal and coast-to coast layup for a 25-6 Nevada lead. Late in the quarter, forward Logan Bradley finished from close-range, was fouled, and hit the free throw, increasing the lead to 20.

With the first half winding down, the Bulldogs closed out strong, going on a 6-0 blitz, to slice the Tigers lead to 28-14.

With 4:57 showing on the third quarter clock, Thompson knocked down a 15-foot jumper, widening the score to 33-16.

With the score 33-19, Kayden Ast came through with a bucket down low, putting the Tigers up 16 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Kayden Ast took an entry pass from Thompson, and banked it in to give Nevada a 39-21 edge.

The Tigers went up 41-21 after Swearingen finished off a breakaway layup. After a Bulldogs bucket on the other end, Swearingen rushed the ball up court, driving into the lane and then kicking out to Thompson, who drained a 3-pointer, making the score 44-23.

"I've told Matt that as long as it's an open shot, you can take it any time," Nevada head coach Lance Sargent said. "And I don't care if it's a hurried shot. Because I want him to get used to shooting like that, because he's going to have to in high school. He's got the biggest green-light that I can give a kid."

Midway through the final quarter, Jayden Ast buried a mid-range jumper, as the Nevada lead ballooned to 48-25.

For the contest, Kayden Ast finished with a game-high 12 points, while Thompson added 11. Swearingen was the third member of the team to score in double-digits, dropping in 10. Jayden Ast ended the evening with six points.

Playing in his first extended action of the season, Bradley scored nine points, while having a nice night on the glass. According to Sargent, Bradley had missed the majority of the season due to a heel injury.

"Logan Bradley, wow," Sargent said. "He's been sick and he's been hurt. But he came in tonight, and now he's going to be playing with the A-team."

Sargent said he was impressed with Bradley's ability to face-up and "go to the basket, not away."

"I told Kayden, 'he's trying to steal some of your minutes,'" Sargent said with a chuckle. "With Bradley, I have another piece to the puzzle. And it's nice because we're going to be able to start giving some guys some breathing time."

Despite the blowout victory, Sargent said he noticed some areas he would like to see his squad make strides in.

"I thought that we were a little bit sloppy with our press," he said. "We didn't drop to where were supposed to be."

B-team game

Leading 19-11 late, the Nevada B-team held on for a 21-18 win. The game was condensed to two six minute quarters. Bradley also played in this game, scoring a team-high eight points. Trent Pryor added five, and Jayden Ast three.

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