Jerice Crouch’s strong 1st half performance lifts Rochester over the Warhawks.
WARRENTON, VA. — The Rochester RazorSharks moved a step closer to clinching first place in the Premier Basketball League standings with a 112-85 victory over the Washington Warhawks on Friday night.
The RazorSharks (15-2) lead the second-place Kentucky Mavericks (14-3) by one game as the regular season series is done between the two squads with the Mavericks holding that edge, 2-1.
In their first meeting of the season against the Washington, the Sharks made quick work of the Warhawks, absolutely demolishing them by a score of 122-59. John Ivy led that game with 23 points, going 6-8 from three point land, but a similar performance from a different player gave the Sharks their victory this night.
Jerice Crouch started the night with the hot hand, having possibly the best single quarter anyone has had in a PBL game this year. He came out and went 5-5 from the 3-point line, added a couple layups and two free throws to round out a 21-point quarter.
The game started out fairly close, but once Crouch found his stroke, the Sharks were too much for the Hawks to handle as they bolted to a 40-17 advantage in the first quarter.
Crouch kept up the excellent play in the early second before making way for some new guys to come in off the bench. He finished the half with 26 points and 2 assists.
The second quarter was not as pretty for Rochester as the Sharks struggled to protect the ball on the offensive end, which led to transition scoring for the Warhawks. The visitors were outscored 26-17 in the quarter, but headed into the locker room up 57-43 at half.
The third quarter was the most competitive in the game, with both teams scoring 28 points. Rochester still struggled a bit to prevent turnovers while the Warhawks did what they could to score on the Sharks’ solid defense.
However, Corey Allmond’s big quarter was enough to keep the score in his team’s favor. John Ivy found his stroke in the fourth quarter as he hit a few shots from deep, bringing his point total into double digits after a quiet first half.
Crouch was the John Betlem Heating and Cooling Player of the Game with 28 points, going 6-8 from beyond the arc. Allmond collected 25 points, followed by Ivy with 19. Ivy was 3-4 from 3-point range. Jordan Railey led the Sharks with 6 rebounds and a couple of blocked shots.
The RazorSharks’ next game will be Sunday, March 26 at the fourth place Jamestown Jackals, Rochester’s potential semmifinal round opponent.