Cooper withstands Lofton explosion

Robbinsdale Cooper pushed over .500 last night with an 89-82 victory over Columbia Heights. Four Hawks were in double figures and they needed to be because Zach Lofton produced 47 points for the Hylanders in an amazing performance.

"The keys to the game were A. We have been really working hard on our half court defense and rebounding, B. Our starting rotation has found some stability after our first 10 games, C. Our role players are understanding their roles and what they need to do to help our team be successful, and D. Rashad Vaughn (a 6-foot-4 freshman) and Antwan Moon really helped our team last evening with Rashad scoring 13 points and eight rebounds and Antwan Moon scoring nine points and getting key defensive stops," said Cooper coach David Johnson.

Late defensive stops were key because the second half was an exciting up and down affair of basketball. Cooper had to grind it out just to contain Lofton.

"The last three minutes of the game Zach Lofton was so hard for us to contain as he had 47 points in the game," said Johnson. "We tried several defensive adjustments but without practice time on them we could not execute them properly. Terrance Averyheart, Handful Pour, and Raheem Tyner stood strong in key moments of the game."

Pour led Cooper with 26 points highlighted by several key baskets and free throws in the remaining minutes of the contest. Tyner has started to show strong signs of being one of the best posts in the North Suburban Conference and he produced 24 points. Averyheart added 15 points.

It was a big win for Cooper who had lost four of their previous five games.

"Our season has gone very well," said Johnson. "Our inexperience has affected us this season with one 9th grader and seven sophomores on our varsity team. We have several injuries which hurt us early in the season and some adversity that has kept some key student/athletes off of our team roster."

Cooper next faces Irondale on Friday night.