Williams sparks Lightning with 28 points
They beat Gary Splash 119-101 for third straight win
Tarron Williams scored 20 of his career-high 28 points in the second half on Friday night, leading the Los Angeles Lightning to a 119-101 pro basketball win over the Gary (Ind.) Splash.
Williams hit 10-14 from the field and also grabbed eight rebounds in the third straight IBA victory by the Lightning (3-0). At 6-7 and 250 pounds, he’s tough to stop when he gets the ball down low.
“When I get the ball in the post, I’m thinking ‘I’m going to score,’ “ said Williams. “I’ve been doing it for years and I’m going to keep doing it till I can’t do it no more.”
Williams scored 15 in the fourth quarter on 6-7 shooting, guiding the Lightning to a 39-31 advantage. “Tarron had a big game and we needed it,” said coach Ron Quarterman. “He’s a handful inside.”
Billy Knight had 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists in the opening of the Lightning’s three-game “Community Tour” at Calabasas High. The same teams will play on Saturday at Moorpark High and Sunday at Newbury Park. The games start at 7 p.m. and they’re all fundraisers for the local high schools.
Knight canned 4-7 from 3-point range on a night when the Lightning made 50 percent (9-18). Chris Ayer posted his third straight double-double with 15 points and 11 boards, helping Los Angeles to a 61-51 rebound advantage.
Andre Muse topped the Splash (9-4) with 27 points and Marcus Jackson had 22 points and seven rebounds. The Lightning outshot the visitors 51.6 to 39.4 percent and the Splash made just 7-33 from 3-point range.
The Lightning got off to a fast start, leading 29-15 after one quarter. Their bench outscored the Splash 48-14. Jerry Dupree had 12 points and seven rebounds, Hassan Stephens had 12 points and five boards and Jeff Bonds added 10 points in his Lightning debut.
Trayvon Lathan, the Lightning’s top scorer at 33.5 per game, suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter and played just eight minutes, scoring six points and grabbing five rebounds.
L.A. led 55-37 at halftime and Knight extended the lead to 24 points on a triple that made it 63-39 with 9:32 to go in the third period.
Peter Dunbar added 18 points for Gary and Chris Wesby had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Splash cut an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit to eight (103-95) on a 3-pointer by Muse with 2:12 to play. Muse hit 5-10 from downtown. The Lightning put the game away with a 14-4 run, ignited by a trey by Bonds and a baseline jumper by Knight.
Photo Credit Mike Lopez.
