By Cody Pastorella
The Lamar State College-Port Arthur Seahawks had no trouble picking up their second victory in the first Port Arthur Rotary Seahawk Classic.
In an overwhelming missmatch, the Seahawks thumped Lone Star College-Kingwood 110-73, marking LSC-PA's (4-0 overall) third 100-point game at home this season.
Saturday's result also marked first-year head coach Matt Cross' 50th career win. It may have been one of the easiest wins in his career as his Seahawks ran up a 13-0 lead before Kingwood recorded its first bucket.
The opposition actually cut the game to 13-6 before Port Arthur answered with a 16-6 run to lift their lead to 29-12. LSC-PA held a 15-to-20-point advantage for the remainder of the first half but quickly upped that margin to 33 points in the opening minutes of the second half with a 14-2 run that landed the scoreboard at 58-25.
The Seahawks only needed 74 points to cover Kingwood for the game. They reached that number with more than 12 minutes left in the contest.
Cross said he is happy about the 4-0 start because it has helped build team chemistry. He said he was pleased with the team's ability to hold and build its lead on Saturday but was still frustrated with the small mistakes.
"It's the little things," he said. "Missing free throws, not blocking out, rebounding, not taking care of the ball. I know it's hard to stay motivated when you're up 20 points from the start but that's what I keep telling the guys — 'do the little things and stay focused.' We've got a long way to go but it's been a good start."
With a blowout like LSC-PA delivered, it is no surprise that 10 players recorded a basket and six reached double figures. Topping the list was Leviante Davis who tallied 19 points and seven rebounds. Keenan Doyle and Beaumont's Roman Vaughn each finished with 17. Kavon Rose, who had four assists, chipped in with 12 points, and both Ahyaro Phillips and Gordon Ball had 10.
Phillips and Ball each had double-doubles as well. To go along with their 10 points, Ball had 12 boards and Phillips grabbed 13 rebounds and made five blocks.
LSC-PA's assists leaders were Demetrius Ford with eight and Von Jones with four. Beaumont's EJ Cockrell picked up five points off the bench and Silsbee's Nick Walters smoked a pair of treys in the first half. He ended with six points.
The Seahawks will continue their home stand on Monday when they play host to Victoria College at 7 p.m. Then on Wednesday, LSC-PA will take on Lone Star Tomball at 7 p.m.
