By By EUGENE L. TINKLEPAUGH
Staff Writer
TERRA CEIA — The Knights of Terra Ceia handed the Lawrence Warriors two 30-point KOs in varsity conference action Friday.
The boys team coasted to victory, 86-58.
Warriors were first to put up points on the board, but Terra Ceia would quickly eclipse that early score with seven unanswered points, all from the Knights big man, Bradley Van Staalduinen.
The standout junior scored 29 points Friday, leading the team.
Coach Roger Klaassen called the 32-point victory the team’s best overall game of the season.
Friday’s win takes Terra Ceia’s conference record to 5-2 (13-6 overall), keeping the team tied for first in the conference, according to Klaassen.
Freshman Mychal Parker, who recently transferred from Southside High School, scored 23 points off the bench. Four of his points were knightly dunks. Parker also hauled in an abundance of rebounds and delivered several assists for scores.
Following the game, Parker said he and his teammates instantly clicked on the court.
Klaassen said the newest addition to the Knights was “accepted with open arms.”
The Knights outscored the Warriors in every quarter except the last, after the team had already built up a 30-point buffer. Eight Knights put up points in the Warrior massacre.
After opening up with a 12 point lead in the first quarter, the Knights started the second with a 10-0 run. Six of those points came from back-to-back three-point plays by the Van Staalduinen-Parker combo. Foul trouble enabled the Warriors to pull under 20 at the bottom of the first half, but missed shots and missed free throws plagued the Warriors from any comeback hopes.
The Lady Knights, ranked third in the state, remain undefeated in the conference with seven wins including Friday’s rout and an overall record of 16-5.
Coach Rob Cantrell called this year a “fun season” for the Knights.
The press kept the Warriors rattled for the duration of the game. In the first two minutes, the Knights scored eight unanswered points. Defensively, Terra Ceia kept the court on lockdown for the entire first quarter not allowing a single Warrior bucket.
After falling behind by 18 points, Lawrence found the net with a long-range jumper and would score twice more before the end of the half.
At the top of the second half, the Warriors showed a bit of life, but the Knights were able to use a deeper bench to its advantage, keeping starters fresh while the Warrior team leaders were spending it on the court to pull within 11. That’s as close as the Warriors would get.
The quick D from TC created an abundance of turnovers that led to fast-break layups, and a 20-point lead that would build to 30 points in the final quarter.
Jordan Cantrell, Mariah Van Essendelft and Siena Ward each contributed 12 points. The team raked in over 20 steals.
Junior Varsity Knights did not see the same success over Lawrence.
The JV boys lost 54-33. Adam Ewarn netted 16 points and was the team leader for the night. Wayne Woolard also contributed 10.
The JV girls lost 21-20. Kathryn Smith was the team’s high scorer with 7 points.
Lawrence 7 11 16 24 — 58
Terra Ceia 19 21 23 23 — 86
Lawrence (58)
Judd Whitehead 26, Michael Cseko 18, Oliver 7, Harrell 4, Hodges 2, Walker 1.
Terra Ceia (86)
Bradley Van Staalduinen 29, Mychal Parker 23, Derek Joyner 14, Van Dorp 7, Snow 6, Davenport 4, Carr 3, Smith 2.
Girls
Lawrence 0 6 10 12 — 28
Terra Ceia 16 7 20 16 — 59
Lawrence (28)
Kendall Street 16, Harden 4, Davis 4, Stotesbury 2, Eubanks 2.
Terra Ceia (59)
Jordan Cantrell 12, Mariah Van Essendelft 12, Siena Ward 12, Van Vuren 9, J. Van Essendelft 7, Ashley 4, Van Staaldinen 2, L. Van Essendelft 1.