WINTHROP — Many of the names on Winthrop’s basketball roster have changed but the approach remains the same.
Much like last year’s Class C South champion Ramblers, this year’s group plays off its defense and hustle in hopes of wearing opponents down.
That was the case Friday night as the Ramblers opened their season with a convincing 70-43 win over Mountain Valley Conference opponent Lisbon.
Winthrop graduated eight seniors, including four starters from a team a year ago that didn’t lose until the state championship. This year’s team is bigger, a little slower and certainly less experienced.
“We’ve got a whole new reloading process,” Winthrop coach Todd MacArthur said. “I think their potential is through the roof, but I think to get there is going to take some work.”
Junior Cam Wood is the team’s lone returning starter and the 6-foot-8 center is the focal point of the team’s offense. He took over in the second half down low, finishing the game with 20 points and 16 rebounds.
“This is a lot younger of a group,” Wood said. “I feel like we have a lot of talent like we did last year. We definitely have work, too but I like playing with this group. It’s kids I’ve played with all the way up through.”
Winthrop junior Jared McLaughlin added 13 points while sophomore Ryan Baird scored 11 and gave the Ramblers a big boost off the bench. Junior Sam Figueroa grabbed eight boards and his presence inside helped free up Wood.
This was a close game for a half. The Greyhounds came out firing and hit three quick 3-pointers en route to a 19-15 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Ramblers full-court pressure began to take its toll in the second period and early in the third as they forced 10 Lisbon turnovers in that span.
“Those things we’ve done in the past with our quickness and our trapping, we’ve got to learn to do it with our size rather than our speed,” MacArthur said. “It’s going to take a little bit longer process to understand angles and our triangles defensively.”
One thing the Ramblers have is depth. MacArthur rotated 10 players throughout the game while the Greyhounds, who were minus a starter, played seven.
“They’re well-conditioned, they play their system really well,” Lisbon coach Jacob Gentle said. “You could tell we were getting fatigued at the end. I think they outscored us 19-2 in the fourth quarter.”
The game, however, turned in the third with a 9-0 run that started when Wood put home a rebound. Baird stole the ball and laid it in and followed that with a 3 from the right side. Leonard Hills capped the run with a putback to make it 47-33 and the Greyhounds never recovered.
“It’s important to play more kids,” MacArthur said. “You wear them down especially when you full-court press.
Lisbon’s Jonah Sauter finished with 20 points while fellow senior Sam Scott added 11.
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