MICDS Starts Strong, Streaks Past Sullivan

Nick Roper scored 16 points, Jack Pronger added 15 and MICDS blitzed Sullivan with a big third quarter on Friday to secure a 64-57 win in non-conference action.

Roper and the Rams did most of their damage in the first and third quarters. They scored 45 points within those two periods.

Roper finished 4-7 beyond the arc and five Rams connected on 3-point attempts. 

Pronger, who shot just 4-16 overall, used his size to collect a game-high 16 rebounds. 

Sullivan fell behind 9-0, but two 3-pointers from Lewis sparked the offense. The Rams had answers for both as Jack Brooks and Roper matched it on the other end.

With 1:40 to play, McKinney grabbed a blocked 3-point attempt from Hoffman, cut inside and finished with a finger roll to cut the deficit to 15-10.

Roper knocked down a 3 in response for MICDS, but Austin Frye kept pace with a triple. Sam Wienstroer splashed a 3 before the buzzer and the Rams led 21-13.

The teams continued to swap 3s in the second quarter. McKinney opened the period with his first trey, only to have Pronger pull up for a 3 and maintain an eight-point lead. 

Cunningham initiated a 6-0 run with an inside basket. Frye missed a 3-pointer, but corralled his own rebound and ended with a scoop. Lewis fed a give-and-go to McKinney that brought the Eagles within two, 24-22.

MICDS extended the lead to six on a put-back by Pronger. Alex Wienstroer’s second chance bucket pushed the lead to 30-23 with 52 seconds, but McKinney scored inside and left the Eagles trailing 30-25 at the half.

Sullivan’s offense seized up midway through the third quarter. Hoffman’s 3-pointer with 5:32 kept the Eagles down 35-30, but it went down as their only field goal. MICDS went on an 8-0 run, ending with 3-pointers by Pronger and Roper. Sullivan called a timeout with 3:40 left and trailing 43-30, but MICDS stayed hot. 

Pronger scored on a third chance basket with 2:11 to give the Rams a 48-31 lead. Hasani Spann and Brandon Mitchell-Day added baskets to open up a 52-33 lead at the 49 second mark. Lewis had two free throws, but Spann went iso on the final play of the period, ending with a banked in shot right before the buzzer. The Rams led 54-35.

Sullivan wouldn’t go away quietly, starting the final period with a 6-0 run. The Eagles kept chasing and would narrow the deficit to 59-49 on a 3-pointer by Hoffman with under two minutes to play. 

Lewis cut it to 63-55 in the final minute, but time would run out on the rally.