Ruston takes down Airline to pick up first win

Ruston boys basketball (1-4) looked back to form in its home opener Tuesday night over Airline with the Bearcats taking the win 65-40 thanks to big performances from Ahmad Hudson and Keshun Malcom.

Malcolm put up 16 points, including 6 in both the second and fourth quarter, to go with fellow sophomore Ahmad Hudson’s 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

“It was good to have a couple more bodies we can go to. We got a lot of stuff to clean up,” Ruston assistant coach Corey Deans said. “It’s always good to get a win but we’ll come back to work tomorrow and try to fix those things and get ready for Red River on Friday.”

Ruston won by 25 despite missing football stars and main contributors Zheric Hill and Aidan Anding, both expected back in the coming weeks after working through injuries sustained during a long playoff run.

As for the on-court Bearcats, they started a bit slow out of the gates, especially defending the three-point line as Airline connected on four triples in the opening frame, along with a pair of free throws, to lead the Bearcats 14-12 after the first.

“Defensive wise, we didn’t know any plays. So, we just kind of winged it and put them in spots,” Deans said.

But once the Bearcats began to lock in defensively, and Hudson returned to the game after picking up two early fouls, Ruston stormed ahead 28-20 at halftime, getting great offense as Hudson’s presence allowed for easy kick-outs and strong driving lines against a collapsed defense.

Deans was happy as anyone would expect to get Hudson back on the court and didn’t shy away from what his nearly unguardable forward brings to the table when he’s on the floor.

“I hate to talk about a state title but we’re definitely one of the top 10 teams in the state,” Deans said of what Hudson gives Ruston. “If Ahmad can get in shape and keep his cool; And we’re still missing Zheric Hill. He’ll be back hopefully Friday. That brings leadership and toughness back to our group.”

Ruston took total control in the third quarter, out-scoring the Vikings 20-5, as Hudson poured in 9 points while the Bearcats as a whole turned Airline over at a rapid pace to create easy offense. By the time Airline scored its first basket of the frame, Ruston had already pulled ahead 41-23. Ruston closed out the third on a 7-2 run to lead 48-25.

Airline, who finished with over 20 turnovers, briefly led 14-7 in the first quarter. From that point on, Ruston finished the rest of the game on a 58-26 run.

Malcolm, Ruston’s primary shotmaker while Anding recovers from his injury, put up his fifth straight game over 12 points to start his season - averaging over 18 ppg so far. But just because Hudson, Joran Parker, and eventually Anding, are back, Deans doesn’t want Malcom to think his role as a scorer needs to change.

“He’s kind of playing tentatively. We got some guys back. I told him I want him to take the same shots he’s been taking. I don’t care if Michael Jordan or Scottie Pippen come back. We need him to be aggressive and try to get 20, 30 points a game.”

The Bearcats (1-4) will be back in action Friday night at home to host Red River (7-1).