Second-half swarm by Edgewood bests South Putnam 54-42

South Putnam senior Derrick Mitchell drives for a fastbreak layup during the second half against Edgewood on Saturday. Mitchell had seven points and seven rebounds in the loss. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

The massive starting lineup for the South Putnam boys' basketball team did what it was designed for, helping the Eagles dominate the rebounding battle and eliminate second-chance points, but visiting Edgewood found holes in the second half and pulled away for a 54-42 win.

South Putnam went big to start the game, with 6-1 senior Derek Chestnut and 6-3 sophomore Jimmy Rutter playing the guard spots to start the game, which brought both advantages and disadvantages for the Eagles.

"I was happy with the way our kids played," SPHS coach Troy Burgess said. "I thought our effort was good. I thought our kids played hard."

South Putnam junior Jake Schroer attempts a 3-point shot during the first half on Saturday. (Banner Graphic/GRANT WIEMAN)

The large lineup helped South Putnam control the rebounding battle (36-24 in the game) and in the first half, they dominated near the basket as well.

The Mustangs were forced to foul to slow down the Eagles inside and South Putnam drew 13 in the first half, going 10-for-13 at the free throw line.

While the Eagles were able to control the inside, playing a larger lineup left them susceptible to perimeter action.

The Mustangs worked the ball around the arc, waiting for a quality look, knowing there would be no second-chance points as they waited to strike.

Edgewood finished the first half 4-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc and took a 26-24 lead into halftime.

As the Mustangs became more comfortable with their smaller lineup, they began extending their defense, which met the Eagles before they could attack and stopped them from exploiting their apparent advantage.

Burgess said he started the lineup that had helped spark his team's comeback against Rockville in its last game, which was 22 days ago.

"They extended their zone in the second half and started pressuring us a little out there, and we got caught standing around," Burgess said. "We quit attacking. What good teams do when a team extends that defense on you is you get to the basket.

"You attack. And we quit attacking."

With South Putnam on its heals, Edgewood senior Tommy Black took over in the second half. He finished with 14 points and team-highs with eight rebounds, six assists and four steals.

Senior Clayton Settle led the Mustangs with 15 points.

While the South Putnam starting lineup played a balanced, dominant game on the boards, it failed to apply consistent aggression, Burgess said.

Coming off the bench for the Eagles, senior guard Derrick Mitchell did just that. He finished with seven points and a team-high seven rebounds, despite being the shortest player on the court.

"I thought Derrick played well," Burgess said. "He's getting better. He's got to play under control. We've got things that we need him to do, and I thought he did them tonight."

Aside from Mitchell, who was three-for-six from the field, the Eagles struggled shooting. The team finished at 28.6 percent from the field (14-49).

Senior Trey Moore led the team with 13 points on 15 attempts and sophomore Trevor Long had eight points on five attempts.

Edgewood (54): Settle 4-10 6-6 15, Black 4-7 5-9 14, Newman 2-7 0-0 5, Fuller 1-2 3-5 5, Carmichael 1-1 0-0 2, Collier 3-5 0-0 8, Robinson 1-5 0-0 3, Patton 1-2 0-0 2, Driver 0-1 0-0 0. Total 17-40 14-20 54.
South Putnam (42): Moore 4-15 5-6 13, Long 2-5 4-6 8, Rutter 2-5 0-0 4, Chestnut 1-6 0-1 2, Masters 0-2 1-2 1, Mitchell 3-6 1-2 7, Carmichael 1-2 2-2 4, Schroer 1-8 0-0 3. Total 14-49 13-19 42.