Corbin, Miller stop Blue Ridge

ST. GEORGE — Miller’s D’Andre Corbin made it clear Tuesday night that the Mavericks aren’t all frontcourt, helping lift Miller to a regular-season series-evening win over Blue Ridge, 69-53.

Corbin drew the unenviable task of spearheading the Mavericks’ defensive effort against Denzel Wilson, Blue Ridge’s electric point guard who torched Miller in the squads’ opening meeting and a player opposing defenses aren’t likely to contain, much less shut down.

Corbin and the rest of the Mavericks’ guards managed to hold Wilson to just one field goal, and it came with under two minutes left in the contest.

Corbin also went to work on offense, dishing out four assists and tallying eight points, setting the table for Miller’s frontcourt, by driving into the lane and forcing the Barons (19-4) to slide on defense, opening up scoring opportunities for the Mavericks’ big men.

“He caused us trouble with his defense on Denzel and his penetration,” said Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey.

The Mavericks (19-3) didn’t shut down Wilson — he finished with nine assists, but they didn’t come easily for the senior. Miller threw a combination of Corbin, Preston Terrell and Ricardo Rush at Wilson, double-teaming him off screens and most of the time when he got into the lane.

“We just had to follow him around and make sure we knew where he was all time,” Rush said. “We definitely worked on that all week and we perfected that I think. Last game he went wild and this game we definitely did better.”

Corbin and Mychal Parker teamed as a strong one-two punch on the perimeter, putting the ball on the floor, driving into the lane and drawing multiple Blue Ridge defenders before making quick passes. Parker finished with 14 points and a couple of assists.

That penetration helped Miller jump out to a 17-8 first-quarter lead. The Mavericks then prevented any real second half charge by the Barons with a 12-4 run to start the third and extend a 5-point halftime advantage.

From there the Mavericks’ big men took over. Brice Kofane hauled in seven rebounds, scored 10 points and came up with seven blocks as well as two steals. Hippolyte Tsafack poured in 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds to complete his double-double. Marshawn Powell finished with 14 points and eight rebounds despite being held scoreless in the first half of a strong defensive effort by the Barons.

Miller held a 35-24 advantage on the boards. The three forwards were also instrumental in the effort to hold Wilson in check.

“I felt like we did a good job of helping with our bigs and kind of showing to keep [Wilson] out of the paint,” said Miller coach Fred Wawner. “Our kids did a good job of closing in on space and making them make tough plays.”

It didn’t help Blue Ridge and Wilson that shooting guard Ryan Smith, who re-aggravated a previous injury against St. Anne’s-Belfield while guarding Brett Goodloe, wasn’t available for the game. That allowed the Mavericks to concentrate on containing Wilson.

Wilson had 10 points, eight of which came at the free-throw line. Darnell Turner led the Barons with 14 points. Scott Williams chipped in nine points, six rebounds and three steals.