SALEM, Oregon — Long travel days aren’t fun for anyone.
Now imagine you have to play elite-level basketball less than 24 hours after arriving at your destination.
No bother for the Ruston High Bearcats (3-1), who have won their first two games of the 2025 Capitol City Classic at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon — first against Central 73-56 on Friday and then 71-39 against Wilsonville on Saturday.
“We got in at 3 a.m. our time, and I was worried about our legs,” Ruston High Head Coach Marcus Jackson said of the travel. “We played pretty good through it. Our defense is one of the things that I’ve been most impressed by.”
Ruston’s first win came in large part to the return of both juniors Keshun Malcolm and Ahmad Hudson from the football roster, who combined for 37 points to go with sophomore Darren Ford’s 20 point-performance. Malcolm led the scoring with 23 points overall.
Hudson would put together a double-double performance with 14 points and 14 rebounds.
The Bearcats had an even more dominating performance on the following day as Hudson and Malcolm this time combined for 47 points, with Hudson leading the way with 26 points — 16 of which came in the first half. Malcolm added his 21 with 15 coming in the first two quarters.
“The football players (Hudson and Malcolm) have been catching on quickly to the scouting report, and our defense has been our greatest aspect,” Jackson said. “And the camaraderie and rapport that we’ve been displaying with each other — on and off the court — that’s really what I wanted to work on while we’re here.”
Ruston will now play Tualatin tonight at 9 p.m. CST with a chance to play in the championship game. The competition will ramp up for the Bearcats over the next two days now with the potential to see teams that have won state championships or have highly-rated college basketball prospects on their respective rosters.
“These next two nights are going to be more challenging,” Jackson said in conclusion. “(Tualatin) won it all last year, and the other two teams on the other side of our bracket have Duke and Missouri prospects. Hopefully, we’ll get some rest and be able to hit the court and be successful in our game planning. If we can continue to move the ball, trust each other and play good defense, then I think we’ll be all right.”
