WINTHROP — There is no debate that some teams in the Mountain Valley Conference are going to find the Winthrop boys basketball team to be big, quick and overpowering.
The scrappy Mt. Abram Roadrunners (0-2) found that out Monday night when Winthrop (2-0) put together a 69-21 victory.
“I like the fact that we were able to use our depth to wear teams down,” Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur said. “We are much deeper this year than we have been in a long time.
“I am able to play eight, nine, 10, 11 kids. We are really 10-deep, and I think being 10-deep, we can wear teams down and able to play the defense we want to play.”
The Ramblers came to life in the second quarter and showed off their devastating fast break, building a 39-12 lead by halftime.
In the second half, Winthrop slowed it down and used its reserves to finish out the game. The Roadrunners mustered only nine points in the second half.
Winthrop used a handful of six-footers who are devastating off the boards and inside the paint.
“We definitely always have a size advantage,” MacArthur added. “It is a nice thing. We have to learn when to expose it … that’s one of the areas we are trying to work on.
“We always have an advantage in the height department. We always to play fast with our pressing game, but then when it gets to establishing our offense, we want take advantage of it.”
Senior Cam Wood — who looms large at 6-foot-8 — led the Ramblers with 13 points.
Jevin Smith scored 10 points, with teammates Jared McLaughlin and Nate LeBlanc each notching nine points. McLaughlin was 5-for-5 from the foul line.
“The only disappointment I had was we came out of the gate slow,” MacArthur said. “We have to play tenacious defense and high energy throughout the game.
“I love the effort from my guys. They always work hard. They always want to better, and the team we are now, and team from two months from now will be completely different.”
Junior Nate Luce knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 10 points for the Roadrunners.
“We were definitely outmatched in size, and I feel like we worked hard at times,” Mt. Abram coach Dustin Zamboni said. “It is a tough to start out with Winthrop and Spruce Mountain.”
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