By Kyle Roberts
Ruston High’s boys basketball squad (10-7) closed out 2023 in winning fashion with two wins at the Sidney Smith Memorial Tournament at West Monroe High School with a Dec. 29 win over Neville 71-54, followed by a 57-14 win over Franklin Parish on Dec. 30.
“We are getting better every time we play,” Ruston High head coach Ryan Bond said. “There’s still room for improvement, but I like how the guys are working.”
The Bearcats fought back after a slow start against the Neville Tigers, going from trailing 13-11 at the end of the first quarter to leading 32-28 at the half. Ruston would outscore Neville 39-26 for the remainder of the game for the win.
“We overcame a sluggish first quarter, ” Bond said. “Offensively, we stood around too much the first quarter. We were down 24-18 in the second quarter, but picked up our defensive intensity.”
Freshman Ahmad Hudson had a dominating performance with 21 points and 20 rebounds. Junior Aidan Anding added 16 points, while senior Lonnie Dimmer finished with 12. Senior Zhy Scott added 11.
The following day, Ruston had a commanding win over Franklin Parish in a game that was never in doubt. The Bearcats took an 18-5 lead to the second quarter en route to the blowout win.
“The guys were really locked in defensively,” Bond said following the tournament. “We played two very good teams. I’m proud of how we were focused each game.
Both Hudson and Anding finished with 15 points apiece.
Ruston returns to action Friday, Jan. 5, at Northwood-Shreveport. Tip off is set for 7:30.
