December 22, 2001 12:24 AM
Rocks roll over LaSalle-Peru
By Marc Nesseler, Sports editor There's a big difference between need and want.
After suffering a loss in the Iowa/Illinois Shootout last Saturday, the Rock Island
Rocks said they needed a game before venturing to the Normal Holiday Tournament next week.
They wanted a win. They got one from the needed game that was rescheduled from Dec. 8
prior to the season's start when both the Rocks and LaSalle-Peru realized they'd have a
12-day pre-tournament layoff. Rock Island cruised to a 66-36 win over the Cavaliers at
Rock Island Fieldhouse.
``This is what we needed heading into the tournament,'' said RI coach Thom Sigel of his
6-3 Rocks. ``This makes everyone feel better about where they're heading.''
Not only did the Rocks win, but they looked cohesive in doing so. That, too, is
important heading into the year-end tourney.
``We're continuing to learn to play together. We've got that chemisty going,'' said
Sigel. ``We took some good strides in the right direction.''
Senior point guard Munchie Muskeyvalley turned in his best game of the season, hitting
5-of-8 shots en route to 12 points. David Wilson took game scoring honors with 15 points,
and Brandin Smith not only was tops in rebounds with a whopping 14 but he also managed a
double-double with 11 points.
Ten Rocks got into the scoring column, including deep reserve Eric Fleming, who hit a
pair of NBA-length 3-pointers for six points late in the fourth quarter.
``This gives us some momentum heading into Christmas,'' said Wilson, who scored 11 of
his points in the middle quarters in which the Rocks outscored the Cavs 31-14.
``The important thing was to get a win and to come away with a positive attitude,''
added Smith. ``We had an excellent week of practice and it carried over into this game.''
Rock Island junior forward did not play in the blowout win, sitting out with a back
injury suffered Thursday in practice. Snyder hopes to return for the Normal Tournament.
No LaSalle-Peru player reached double figures. The Rocks outrebounded LP 34-15, with no
LP player netting more than three boards.
RI sophs win by 65: How lopsided was the Rocks' sophomore win over LaSalle-Peru?
Official scorer Chuck Austin said the final of 93-28 wasn't an indication of how close the
game was. If every there was a case for a continuous clock, as in a 40-point football
spread, this was it.
To wit, the Rocks outscored LP 32-2 in the third quarter, which left the score 80-19
heading into the final quarter.
The Rocks put five in double figures, led by Sam Johnson with 18 first-half pionts.
Dail Rice had 16, Justin Sharp 12 and Richard Whitley and Derrick Partman with 10 apiece.
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