BY GEORGE MAHL

EDGARD – The size difference between the players from Riverside Academy and West St. John High School was evident before the opening tipoff.

On paper, the recent prep basketball contest appeared to be a mis-match. It was.

The WSJ high-powered offense proved to be too much for the RA Rebels as the Rams defeated their rival 80-25.

“We played everybody tonight,” said WSJ head coach Antoine Edwards. “We basically threw two teams at them. It was a complete game for us.”

Things got off to a fast start for the District 9-2A leaders. The Rams got out of the gate quickly by going on a 12-0 run to start the game thanks to fast break opportunities and dominating the boards.

WSJ starter Josh Lumar scored six of his team’s first 10 points. After Thomas Augusta sank two free throws with 4:38 left in the first quarter, the Rams (8-3, 2-0 district) grabbed a 12-0 lead. After the Riverside bench received a technical foul, Lumar hit a jumper expanding the lead to 17-1 with about three minutes remaining in the quarter.

Six different Rams scored in the first quarter. RA’s Josh Labiche hit a basket to end the first quarter making the score 25-5.

Labiche led the Rebels with 11 points.

It got worse for the Rebels in the second period. After Labiche nailed a three-point shot, West St. John went on a 15-0 blitz to end the half. Moreover, the Rams were getting easy baskets thanks to excellent rebounding and long outlet passes from the guards.

WSJ outscored Riverside 16-6 in the second period. After Randall Nicholson’s jumper, Lumar made another basket, giving the Rams an insurmountable 41-12 halftime lead.

“Josh is a three-year starter for us. He knows what he wants to do when he gets out on the court,” Edwards said.

Lumar, who finished with 21 points, had 14 at the half.

The offense for the Rams stepped it up in the third period by outscoring Riverside 20-4. A 41-12 lead at the start of the quarter became a 61-16 lead at the end of the third period.

The final period actually saw RA score the first basket. Ryan Griffen’s three-pointer to start the fourth quarter made the score 61-19. Nearly all of the Rams players scored at least one point.

“Our bench played well. Randall (Nicholson), Neal (Songy), Sandy (Harris), and a few other kids contributed to this victory,” concluded Edwards.

Leading scorers for WSJ included Lumar (21 points), Songy (11 points), and Augusta (9 points). For RA, Labiche finished with 11, while Griffen contributed with 10.