By Ryan Spitz
In a closely contested game in the first half, Run TMC pulled away in the second half to defeat Stranger Danger 80-63.
“We were pushing, getting their guards frustrated, pressuring them,” Run TMC’s Matt Zocco said. “It showed, we were just running, pressuring, and turning offense to defense.”
That pressure and fast-paced style of the game took its toll on Stranger Danger in the second half as they were held to 25 points in that half, after scoring 38 in the first half. Looking sluggish and frustrated at times, Stranger Danger’s bid for an upset began to slip through their fingers as the second half evolved.
In addition to the pressure the inside presence of Will Hudson took its toll on Stranger Danger as well. Hudson took advantage of Stranger Danger’s minimal size to the tune of 32 points and 16 rebounds.
Hudson’s big game was even more satisfying than normal due to the amount of chatter before the game on both sides.
“Tyler [Feldman] was talking before,” Zocco said. “We had to show Tyler a little something, but it was all in good fun.”
Despite the loss, Stanger Danger showed they can hang with one of the tougher teams in the league. Steve Echols continued his all-star type performance with 18 points, while Joe Cordy added 17 points.
Additionally, Run TMC won big tonight without the help of big-time midseason pick-up Joe Spain, which could have made the final score worse than it actually was.
“Joe Spain is a dominant player, he cleans up a lot of our messes,” Zocco said. “If he goes north and south; watch out.”
