Randall boys come alive in second half to cruise past West Plains

A snapshot of where boys basketball stands in Canyon ISD was in sharp focus at the Randall Gym on Friday afternoon after the second District 4-4A game of the season.

That picture inevitably showed the Randall Raiders on top, just like the numbers would predict if state rankings and last year’s results are to be believed.

In a matchup of CISD schools with state rankings, No. 3 Randall hosted No. 18 West Plains, and the latter appeared in control of the game midway through the third quarter. But Randall, returning the nucleus of a team which reached the state semifinals last season, showed that reputations count for something, closing extremely strong to roll to an 82-63 victory and stay unbeaten on the young district season.

Considering that the Raiders (14-2, 2-0 in district) have experience from a state tournament run, it might be a bit strong to say that beating West Plains (8-7, 0-2) was a statement win. But a statement was nonetheless made, that if someone’s going to beat the Raiders in district play, it will take a four-quarter effort.

West Plains appeared to be in good position to do that, taking a 46-33 lead midway through the third quarter, and the Wolves appeared to be in prime position to make a seismic shift in the district pecking order. However, Randall’s experience showed, as the Raiders finished the game with a 49-17 run to leave no doubt in the end.

“We came out and (West Plains) increased the lead and we called time out,” Randall coach Leslie Broadhurst said. “I just told them ‘This is your team. You’d better decide to play the way you’re supposed to play.’ Our press caused them a lot of problems and we started making shots. It was uncharacteristic in the first half that we didn’t shoot the ball very good.”

Any discussion of Randall shooting the ball will start with K.J. Thomas, and Friday afternoon was no different. Thomas scored 14 of his game-high 36 points in the third quarter, when the Raiders took the lead for good late and were up 57-53 at the end of the period. After that, they steadily increased their lead until the end.

The Raiders also proved that they weren’t a one-man show offensively as they had four scorers in double figures. Tayesen Combs had 13 points, Devin Baccas scored 12 and Jaxon Toniolli chipped in 11 off the bench.

It was tight in the first half, as the two teams were tied at 19 at the end of the first quarter and West Plains led 35-31 at halftime, as Ayden Rodriguez had 12 points in the second quarter. The Wolves maintained that momentum into the third quarter, but Randall wouldn’t let them sustain it.

“That’s part of what we talked about in the locker room,” West Plains coach Kendall Cogburn said. “(The Raiders) have been there and played in the Alamodome (at the state tournament). They sustained their runs and we had some key turnovers late and that bit us in the butt. That’s part of the game of basketball.”

Rodriguez led West Plains with 19 points and Aaron McCarty added 11.

West Plains  19  35  53  63 
Randall          19  31  57  82 
WP – Ayden Rodriguez 19, Aaron McCarty 11. R – K.J. Thomas 36, Tayesen Combs 13, Devin Baccas 12, Jaxon Toniolli 11. Records: West Plains 8-7, 0-2. Randall 14-2, 2-0.