Published: February 21, 2009 12:06 am      

HOOPS: Wildkats overpower Red Devils

Kokomo rolls to 43-19 halftime lead en route to blowout win

Richmond’s team bus, apparently routed through Akron on its trip to Kokomo’s Memorial Gymnasium Friday night, arrived about an hour late.

Turns out the game was still over before a 5th grader’s curfew.

Operating with an 8:40 p.m. tip-off, Kokomo went to work in a hurry. With their four seniors in the lineup on senior night, the Kats blew the socks off the Red Devils right out the gate. By 9 o’clock it was 20-6 at the first quarter break and for all practical purposes, it was game over.

Kokomo sprinted to a 43-19 halftime lead and won a laugher, 80-53.

It marked the Kats’ 10th win in their last 13 games and leaves them at 12-7 heading into their regular season finale at Maconaquah Friday. The victory also gave the Kats a first division 4-3 North Central Conference finish.

Fierce defensive pressure when it counted dictated the tone in this matchup. In the first quarter, Kokomo forced Richmond into turnovers on 10 of its 16 possessions, limiting the Red Devils to 2 of 7 shooting.

“We wanted to apply a lot of pressure and take [Richmond] our of their comfort zone,” said Wildkat coach Brian McCauley. “It was all about effort and intensity. We ran the passing lanes and [Richmond] felt the pressure.”

Dean Foster, in his first year coaching Richmond, but a coach who has logged 431 wins and had teams in four Final Fours, complimented the Wildkats.

“We scouted them once and saw them on tape,” he said. “They looked good then, but not nearly as good as they were [Friday night].

“There are things you have to do when you play a team that is quicker and taller and we weren’t able to do any of them. Kokomo started well and just got more confident as the game went on.”

Richmond, 5-14 overall, didn’t have the size or strength to compete on this night.

Kokomo’s inside trio of Patrick Hopkins, Tyrone Brown and Cheyse Swain combined for 16 of 18 shooting, 33 points and 16 rebounds — by halftime.

The second half was a bit rag-tag — as expected perhaps with the outcome decided. It did include a few notable moments, such as 3-pointers by Hopkins (the first of his career) and Parker Salinas (despite having a broken finger on his shooting hand).

Hopkins led his team with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Swain may have set a team season mark in the production per minute category. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound sophomore came off the bench to play just 12 minutes, but during that time hit 8 of 11 shots for 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

“He’s just a tremendous athlete with great hands and a real feel around the basket,” McCauley said. “He’s strong and plays with a lot of energy. He has a solid skill level and has made great progress this year.”

Hopkins’ fellow seniors didn’t disappoint before taking a final Memorial Gym bow with 5:17 left in the final quarter. Brown finished with 12 points and 7 boards, Arnett added nine points and Yeoman was a steady force with six points, a team-high four assists and no turnovers in his first start.

“I was really proud of our seniors, [Friday] night and really all season,” McCauley said. “They came into the program when it was down two years ago. They didn’t accept mediocrity and have helped the program turn the corner.”

Kokomo’s JV squad finished 10-0 in Memorial Gymnasium with a 64-33 victory. Huston Clark’s 5 of 6 shooting and team-high 12 points helped improve coach Matt Weaver’s squad to a 16-3 record.