Westminster – Aurora Central guard Kofi Woahen will never be a true replacement for 6-foot-9 teammate Ronald Scarbrough, but he did a pretty good job just the same Thursday night.
With Standley Lake double- and triple-teaming Scarbrough, Woahen and fellow guards Marcus Johnson and Stephen Franklin dominated the paint with knifing drives and back-door cuts as the visiting Trojans blew out the Gators 80-48.
Woahen, a 5-10 senior who played last season at George Washington, scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds as the ninth-ranked Trojans (3-0) shot 51 percent from the field to cruise to the Class 5A nonleague victory.
“Got to pick up the slack whenever he needs help,” Woahen said of Scarbrough. “That’s what I’m here to do.”
Johnson led the balanced Trojans with 22 points, Franklin had 11 and 6-2 junior Sean Cunningham finished with 12.
Aurora Central never trailed, worked sparingly out of its half-court set and feasted on the Gators in transition by forcing 23 turnovers.
“Every day we work on defense, we work on rebounding, we work on taking care of the ball,” Trojans coach Bob Caton said. “They work hard. They’re great kids.”
Said Johnson: “We try to get in the passing lanes and play that good defense, because our defense keys our offense.”
Scarbrough had a quiet game in terms of scoring, finishing with just four points on three shots. The Gators did a good job keeping him off the low post, but his presence up top gave his teammates acres of space underneath the basket.
Scarbrough got in foul trouble midway through the third quarter, but recorded six blocked shots and three assists.
Standley Lake (2-1) couldn’t handle the Trojans’ speed or pressure and failed to knock down the few open looks provided, shooting just 31 percent from the field.
Junior Matt Soukup led the Gators with 18 points, four rebounds and one blocked shot while Austen Lott and Zach Taylor finished with seven points apiece.
“You just can’t afford to give that many (turnovers) up and let them get out and get their legs going,” Gators coach Jon Baskin said. “Ultimately, they hit some jump shots, but they beat us on the break.”
The Trojans led 19-6 at the end of the first quarter, 39-16 at halftime and took their biggest lead (78-43) with two minutes remaining on consecutive baskets by substitute James Ray.
Aurora Central 19 20 17 24 – 80
Standley Lake 6 10 13 19 – 48
Aurora Central – Johnson 8 3-5 22, Woahen 7 1-2 15, Cunningham 5 2-2 12, Franklin 3 4-4 11, O’Conner 0 0-0 0, Ray 2 0-1 4, Neal 0 0-0 0, Martin 4 0-0 8, Schult 1 0-0 2, Scarbrough 2 0-0 4, Kelly 0 0-0 0, Goyer 1 0-0 2. Totals 32 10-14 80.
Standley Lake – Hernandez 2 0-0 4, Claeys 1 0-0 2, Pahl 0 0-0 0, Oldham 0 1-2 1, Taylor 2 3-4 7, Norloff 1 0-0 2, Zehnder 1 3-6 5, Lott 2 2-2 7, Crandall 1 0-0 2, Soukup 7 4-6 18, Gibbs 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 13-20 48.
3-pt. goals – Johnson 3, Franklin; Lott. Total fouls – Aurora Central 19, Standley Lake 13. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
