By Kyle Roberts
RUSTON, La. — Thunderous dunks from sophomore Ahmad Hudson and threes from sophomore Keshun Malcolm.
A raucous home crowd enjoyed plenty of both Friday night as Ruston High (7-3) overwhelmed Richwood (10-7) by a final score of 66-42 in Ruston’s Main Gym in the first game of the 2025 calendar year for the Bearcats.
Oh, and a stingy defense helped, too, setting Ruston on a 24-2 run for nearly seven minutes between the end of quarter two and the beginning of quarter three.
“The kids get all the credit for their shooting ability and reading and making athletic plays. But the defense, I want to take a little bit of credit for getting to more and more like what I’ve seen in the past,” Ruston High assistant coach Corey Deans said, tongue-in-cheek. “(Senior Zheric Hill) commanded our first substitution group, and the defense was stifling. He cut off all they’re water. He’s a middle linebacker on the football team, and he’s talking, commanding, and getting everybody in the right place.”
Hudson would score 10 of his 19 total points in the first quarter, leading Ruston to a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter, tallying a block and a steal, as well. Ruston then rained in six three pointers to start the second quarter, with junior Zatterion Sutton knocking down the first with 7:26 to go in the first half. Following two consecutive blocked shots by Hudson, Malcolm knocked down his first three of the game with 5:57 to play in the second quarter.
Hill hit his own three-pointer with 4:28 to go in the second quarter to give Ruston a 23-12 lead. Malcolm added another a few minutes later, followed by senior Aidan Anding with a triple at the 2:20 mark before halftime.
Senior Joran Parker scored the sixth three for Ruston with 1:40 to go before halftime, and Ruston would take a 36-20 lead into the locker room after the second quarter.
Deans credited the kids’ commitment to conditioning and high basketball IQ for the good looks at three for the night.
“We attack gaps, and once you understand defense, when you play offense, you realize where the defense is supposed to be,” Deans said. “When they’re not at their gaps and their spots, we attack, make the open read and make the simple play.”
Parker opened the scoring in the third quarter with a made free throw at the 7:13 mark, which then helped Ruston get into a set defense. Anding stole the ball from a Ram, leading to a score by Hudson with a foul on the made shot. Hudson knocked down the free throw to give the Bearcats a 40-20 lead with 6:42 to go in the third quarter.
After a Hudson block (he’d finish with six on the night), he’d throw down another forceful dunk with 5:30 to go in the third. Malcolm would have a thunderous jam of his own a few seconds later, sending the crowd into an uproar and putting a huge smile on his face.
“He’s confident right now,” Deans said of Malcolm after giving him the green-light to shoot. “At first, he was kind of rebelling against me a little bit, and now he’s real comfortable. He’s playing defense, taking charges and rebounding — if he does those three things, then I don’t care about the shots he takes.”
The Bearcats would hold onto the lead into the fourth quarter, securing the seventh victory in a row.
Malcolm led the team in scoring with 26 points, while Hudson registered a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
“Ahmad cannot be guarded one-on-one,” Deans said. “Even we don’t run a play for him, he has the ability to go get 15 rebounds. He’s coachable and he has a high IQ. He knows when to block shots, he knows when to take charges. He’s the back line of our defense, so whatever mistakes we make, he erases them. I just don’t have enough adjectives to describe him.”
Friday’s win avenges an earlier loss in the season to Richwood by a final score of 84-42.
Ruston’s win sets up a big midweek matchup at home for Tuesday, Jan. 7, against Calvary Baptist. Junior varsity is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with varsity playing right afterward.
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