By Kyle Roberts
NATCHITOCHES, La. — Twenty-three points from Bearcat sophomore Keshun Malcolm would not be enough Monday night as the Ruston High Bearcats (0-1) fell to the Bossier High Bearkats (1-1) by a final score of 64-37 on the first night of the City of Lights Thanksgiving Classic held in Natchitoches, La.
“We knew we were up against a perrennial powerhouse school, and that got all of their guys — none of them are playing football,” Ruston High assistant coach Corey Deans said. “We knew it would be tense. We were right there in the first quarter, and conditioning-wise, we just wore down. Fatigue was a factor.”
Malcolm scored seven of Ruston’s 13 points in the first quarter and totaled 13 in the second half. For the night, Malcolm knocked down five three-pointers.
Ruston trailed 15-13 after the first quarter, but the Bearkats outscored Ruston 20-8 in the second quarter to lead 35-21 at the half. The Bearcats would struggle to get back into the contest after only scoring 16 points in the second half.
“I thought he played well,” Deans said of Malcolm. “But I think we played well as a unit. Our offense was good, and our defense was okay. We just have to do a better job of rebounding and getting back in transition and stopping easy buckets. Even we lost by almost 30, I thought was executed well.”
The Bearcats return to action tonight to take on H.L. Bourgeois for the second night of the classic in Natchitoches, La.
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