Cats extend winning streak to eight
Ruston guard Aidan Anding (1) gets a screen from Ahmad Hudson in order to drive the lane during a recent game. Anding scored 16 points and Hudson 26 against Calvary Baptist Tuesday night. Photo by Josh McDaniel
The Ruston Bearcats have proven to be one of the hottest squads in the state and have taken down every Top 10 team in their path over the last month.
Calvary Baptist, No. 3 in Division III Select, was the latest victim during the Bearcats’ eight-game win streak as Ruston upset the Cavaliers 69-61 on the road Tuesday, vaulting the Bearcats up to No. 6 in Division I Non-select and an 11-7 overall record.
During its win streak, Ruston has defeated four Top 10 teams by an average of 25 points. For added optimism, the Bearcats’ 69 points are the most Calvary Baptist has allowed on its home floor since Jan. 7, 2023.
“Calvary, you know they’re really good and they have a lot of talented players, and they came out ready to play and they got after us in the first quarter with too many secondchance points,” Ruston head coach Ryan Bond said. “Once we cleaned up our rebounding and defensive intensity, we got back in it and did what we needed to.”
Calvary hit three three- pointers in the opening quarter and used its offensive rebounding to lead 19-14 after the first and then 30-28 by halftime, giving the Bearcats a worthy fight to overcome.
The second half was the turning point in Ruston’s favor with Zhy Scott scoring eight of his 12 total points in the fourth, while Joran Parker scored six points in the fourth as well to help the Bearcats outscore Calvary 41-31 in the second half.
Freshman forward Ahmad Hudson delivered a career-high 26 points with a team-best six free-throws in the win, while Aidan Anding scored 16 points of his own.
“With our guys, we have so many mismatches on the floor,” Bond said. “We have guys that can beat you off the dribble, we have guys that can post up. We play with two bigs on the floor and a most teams don’t have that. We’ve got guards that are all capable of handling the ball and scoring. I think if we just clean up some things on the defensive end and rebound a lot better we’ll get to where we want to be.”
Ruston opens district play on the road at Pineville on Friday. The Rebels are currently No. 2 in the Division I Select power ratings with a 13-1 record.
