Second Half Turnovers Down Generals, 71-55

After ending the first half up only two points, the South Side Cyclones opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run, leading to a 71-55 win over MacArthur in the first round of the Cyclone Holiday Tournament at South Side High School on Tuesday night.

Cyclones senior guard Kevin Waxon led all scorers with 21 points and two steals. South Side junior forward Ryan Spadaford recorded his second double-double of the season with 19 points, 13 rebounds and three steals, and junior guard Darren Nickelson finished with 10 points and eight assists.

"I was generally happy with Spadaford's play," said Cyclones head coach Gerry D'Angelo. "We got great contributions from Wax and DJ. They were great in the second half. We also got some nice points from Coyle too, who shot the ball well."

South Side started the game on an 8-0 run before MacArthur was forced to take a timeout and regroup. Spadaford, Kevin Coyle and Waxon combined for all of South Side's 16 first-quarter points, and the Cyclones held a 16-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.

D'Angelo had the Cyclones play a 2-3 zone for most of the first half, which forced the Generals to take long-distance shots, but MacArthur's sharp shooters kept them in it. Sophomore guard Gerard Cunningham led the Generals with 19 points and five three-pointers. Senior guard Kevin Monahan finished with 11, and the Generals ended the half down 29-27.

"We moved the ball well in the first half," said MacArthur head coach Eric Rubin. "We got away from it in the second half and it cost us. We turned the ball over too much."

MacArthur's sloppy second half — they were outscored 42-28 — had as much to do with South Side's tightened defense as it did with their poor shooting. D'Angelo switched to man in the second half, which confused MacArthur's offense. "I figured if we get on pressure them, it would get our motors running and cause MacArthur to play faster than usual."

D'Angelo's defensive switch proved to be the right move. The man defense forced MacArthur to settle for jump shots, and the Generals turned the ball over eight times in third quarter, when it had only committed eight turnovers in the entire first half. South Side's defense also sparked its offense, which outscored MacArthur 21-11 in the third quarter with the help of ten points from Spadaford.

"When we run, we're tough to defend," D'Angelo said. "We had good speed in all five spots."

While Spadaford sat the fourth quarter, Nickelson took the offensive reins, scoring eight points in the final eight minutes on slashing drives in the lane and tear-drop floaters. "He attacked the lanes and gave other guys lay ups," D'Angelo said of his starting point guard. "He made it difficult to guard him. He took any kid to the basket."