Rocklin locks up Twelve Bridges

As the new year approaches, so does league play in prep basketball. The middle of December is typically when teams start to take shape and any athletes that were competing in the postseason for fall sports are beginning to get up to speed with their teammates. Monday night, Rocklin hosted Twelve Bridges for one of the final nonleague bouts of the season. With both teams expected to be contenders in their respective leagues, Monday was a crucial test and measuring stick for both programs. Defense reigned supreme, as the Thunder suffocated the Raging Rhinos with their full-court press in a 64-46 victory. Rocklin coach Steve Taylor said he knew that Twelve Bridges was at its strongest when it ran a half-court offense so he wanted to make the Rhinos uncomfortable with the press. It worked, as the Thunder were able to get their hands in passing lanes and force turnovers all night. "We know they're a big, strong, physical team, and they run excellent half-court action, so our goal was to not allow them to make it a half-court game. It was kind of a battle of two different styles," Taylor said. "Our push coming out in the third quarter was to try to speed the game up and make them play faster. We finally pulled away when we made a run." Twelve Bridges coach Robert Ash was frustrated with the constant turnovers for the Rhinos and while he credited Rocklin's defense, he added that he felt there were some mental mistakes that led to it as well. "It looked like we didn't want to attack. I thought they played harder than us," Ash said. "Every loose ball was theirs. We got out-rebounded and turned the ball over more than them. When you do that, you lose. It's that simple. It's frustrating but that's kind of what we did." Ash said Monday's performance was especially frustrating because he felt like the team started to find its groove after winning the Red Bluff Invitational over the weekend but looked to regress in Monday's game. "We thought we figured some things out this weekend, but we just kind of went in our shell," Ash said. "We weren't shooting the ball well in the first half and that kind of just affected everything that we did. We got bullied on the glass tonight. That's frustrating because I thought we played our best basketball this weekend and then we went out there and did that tonight." Rocklin was led by Sacramento State commit Mark Lavrenov on both ends of the floor. The senior big was a force defensively down low and showcased his ability to score at all three levels, racking up 30 points in the victory. "Mark is a special talent and he's a special kid. He's a lot more diverse in what he can do on the court than most big kids, so putting him on the perimeter at times is important for us because he's one of our best shooters," Taylor said of Lavrenov. "Of course he is also really good on the glass and is relentless, but that's just his mentality." Asked what had kicked Lavrenov into another gear in Monday's win, Lavrenov said, "The knees were a little sore, so my teammate gave me some IcyHot before the game and I just put it all over. It kind of got me hyped, you know. So credit that performance to the IcyHot I guess." Lavrenov's performance was complimented by strong guard play from Josiah Andrews and Conner DeLaby, who each scored 10 for the Thunder. Andrews is one of multiple Rocklin football players that joined the team late, but Lavrenov said that they've picked up right where they left off. "We're a tight knit group of guys, and we love being around each other. When we have a reason to be excited about one another, we take that and we just roll with it," Lavrenov said about his chemistry with his teammates. "In practice we're battling every day. We're just building back camaraderie and chemistry day in and day out with those guys and I'm very excited to have them back." Rocklin (8-2) will head down to Southern California for a four-day tournament in Torrey Pines from Dec. 26-30. The Thunder open the tournament with La Jolla Country Day at St. Augustine High School on Thursday afternoon. Following their return, the Thunder will begin their Sierra Foothill League title defense at Folsom on Jan. 6. Twelve Bridges (9-3) has four more nonleague games before diving into Foothill Valley League play on Jan. 9 against River Valley. The Raging Rhinos will face Mira Loma on Dec. 28 and Liberty Ranch on Dec. 30.