advertisement

Black's career-high 18 lead Larkin past Batavia

On a night when offense was hard to come by the Larkin boys basketball team was looking for someone in the fourth quarter to throw the final knockout blow to put visiting Batavia down once and for all.

The Royals got it from not the most likely source in Pierre Black. The sophomore guard scored a career-high 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Royals to a 59-38 Upstate Eight River Division win over the Bulldogs on Friday.

Black has worked his way from the start of the season as the Royals' sixth man to a spot in the starting lineup as a complimentary player who could knock down a few jump shots to a player, as evidenced by his latest performance, now capable of being a fourth-quarter closer.

"The best compliment I can give Pierre is that I forget he is a sophomore now," Larkin coach Deryn Carter said. "He has matured so much this year. He has really come to understand varsity basketball and that it is more than just being able to hit a jump shot. He has really expanded his game to do so much more."

Larkin (13-12, 4-5) led through much of the game, but Batavia was still hanging around early in the fourth quarter and trailed just 36-31. However, the Royals went on an 11-0 run to pull away to a 47-31 advantage.

Cy Kerber started the run with a 3-pointer. Black then followed with another 3 and also closed the run with a layup. Later in the quarter Black added another 3-pointer and a transition basket. Earlier in the third quarter Black had a 3-pointer and a 3-point play.

"Around the Christmas tournament I really started working on adding more to my game," Black said. "Instead of just taking a 3-pointer all the time I started dribbling more to give myself more options."

The Royals' defensive pressure was persistent throughout the game. forcing 18 turnovers and holding Batavia to just 14 of 44 (32 percent) shooting from the field.

"I was kind of disappointed with our defensive effectiveness the last couple games, so tonight we went back to the basics," Carter said. "A few less chances. I thought we played very unselfish on defense. We had really consistent pressure and I felt like eventually it was just a matter of time before that defense turned into offense. That's what happened in the fourth quarter. I think we were able to wear them down with our pressure."

Larkin outscored Batavia 24-11 in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Lynch added 10 points for the Royals. Jalen Shaw had 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Batavia (15-11, 5-7) could muster little offense beyond 18 points from Colin Cheaney.

"Hand it to Larkin," Batavia coach Jim Nazos said. "They came at us with a lot of pressure and took it right to us and really got us out of our rhythm. We had way too many lapses that shouldn't be happening this time of year. We have a lot to get turned around by the start of the playoffs or it is going to be a very short February for us."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.