As long as points are being put on the board, the Rochester Community and Technical College men's basketball team doesn't really care who is doing the scoring.
The host Yellowjackets put up plenty of points on Wednesday as they toppled Riverland Community College 102-77. RCTC used a well-balanced attack as six players scored in double figures.
"Really good balance, and that's something we're getting better at in the second half of the year," RCTC coach Brian LaPlante said.
Willie Sandifer, a 6-foot-4 forward, led RCTC with 17 points and guard Justyn Galloway added 16.
We've got a really deep bench and we're starting to connect with each other," Galloway said. "Everyone is almost on the same page."
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The Yellowjackets also share the ball very well. They had a total of 38 made baskets on Wednesday and assists were recorded on 32 of the buckets. Galloway had seven assists while three other players had four assists each.
"It doesn't matter who scores, we're just trying to put the ball in the bucket," guard Rob Claypool said. "It's just who's on that night."
Claypool scored 13 points as did starters Ben Ratliff and Keiron Sauer and backup Demetrius Cady.
"When you bring guys like Demetrius Cady off the bench, that's tough," LaPlante said.
RCTC led 46-32 at the half and then hit four 3-pointers early in the second half to pull away. Sauer made was 3-for-3 from 3-point range in the final half and was 5-for-5 from the floor in the game. He also had seven rebounds as the Yellowjackets held a 48-35 advantage on the boards.
The Yellowjackets' strong defensive play prevented Riverland from mounting any hopes of a comeback.
"I'd say our defense and our intensity," Claypool said of the keys to victory. "If we can come out with that kind of intensity, we're going to play well."
It took RCTC less than five minutes into the second half to build its lead to 20 points, and Blue Devils would never climb closer the rest of the way.
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"I think defensively, we just wore them down," LaPlante said. "We played strong defense and we have to turn strips (steals) into points."
RCTC shot a strong 57.6 percent from the field (38-for-66) while the Blue Devils shot a modest 41.2 percent (28-for-68). RCTC was also 9-for-17 from 3-point range.
Riverland did have four players reach double figures, but didn't have RCTC's overall balance. Guard Dearionte Hudson led Riverland with 18 points while forward Robert Parker had 16.
The victory was RCTC's 38th straight at home. The Yellowjackets improve to 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Southern Division of the MCAC. The Yellowjackets play at Fergus Falls at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
RCTC 102, Riverland 77
RIVERLAND (78)
Dearionte Hudson 18, Marcus Myers 5, Nate Emge 3, Robert Parker 16, Devonte Miller 11, Ricky Landers 15, Jeremy Stuart 7, Hermann Michel 2.
RCTC (102)
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Justyn Galloway 16, Rob Claypool 13, Willie Sandifer 17, Lavar McCullough 7, Keiron Sauer 13, Ben Ratliff 13, Demetrius Cady 13, Isaiah Coddon 4, Aaron Samuels 2, Andre Barry 2, Darrious Denson 2.
Halftime:RCTC 46, RIV 32.
Free throws:RIV 15-25, RCTC 17-28. Field goals:RIV 28-68, RCTC 38-66.
Three-point goals:RIV 6-19 (Landers 3, Hudson 1, Emge 1, Stuart 1), RCTC 9-17 (Claypool 3, Sauer 3, Cady 2, Galloway 1).
Rebounds:RIV 35 (Miller 9, Parker 6), RCTC 48 (Sauer 7, Ratliff 6, Galloway 5). Assists:RIV 15 (Parker 3), RCTC 32 (Galloway 7, Claypool 4, Cady 4, McCullough 4). Turnovers:RIV 20, RCTC 16.
