Unselfish Bucs jolt Bolton, Marque scores 28
A pair of big first-half runs, the first a team effort and the second a spurt of individual brilliance, carried Barbe to an 82-53 nondistrict win over Bolton Thursday night at Burton Coliseum.
The Bucs opened the game flaunting their balance with each of the first five baskets scored by a different starter. The Bucs went on a 12-0 run to build an 18-6 lead.
Ethan Marque dominated the second quarter, scoring the Bucs’ first 16 points as they stretched the lead to 25 points by halftime.
Marque scored 21 in the half. Jabbari Barry added 11.
“(Marque) does a lot of good things for us,” Barbe head coach Carl Klein said. “He is able to put it on the floor a little bit and get it to the goal. He also sees the floor really well and tonight he shot it really well.”
Barbe’s lead grew to as many as 37 in the second half.
Marque finished with 28 points and Barry with
21. Ja’Quise Richmond added 11 points. The Bucs forced Bolton (0-1) into a string of turnovers they converted into fast-break baskets.
“The pressure that we had, we got some deflections and steals that led to transition buckets,” Klein said. “We were able to get out, run the lanes and get some easy buckets.”
The Bucs opened the season with a 97-point game against South Beauregard. Klein said the big point totals start with defense.
“Right now we’re playing really unselfishly, playing together,” he said. “We have to continue to work and get better game by game. We are still learning each other and have room for improvement. Defensively we have some things to clean up. Offensively we could be more disciplined and execute better.”
Jacorian Brown led Bolton with 13 points.
The Bucs will compete in the Sulphur tournament next week. The tournament will be played Monday-Wednesday at Sulphur High.