FREDERICK, Md. – The Blazers hit triple digits in back-to-back conference games as the trio of Karron Mallory (Manchester, Pa./Northeastern), Garrett Cox (Glen Allen, VA/Glen Allen) and Garrison Linton (New Market, Md./Oakdale) score 20 or more in the 112-75 victory over Stevenson in Woodsboro Bank Arena on Wednesday night.
 
Inside the Box Score

Mallory went 6-for-9 from three-point land while notching three assists and three steals.

Linton scored his 20 with a side of six assists.

Cox had another effective shooting night at 8-for-12 with six rebounds and three assists.
 
How it Happened

Earlier in the season we found slow starts for the squad, trying to figure things out along the way and get warm as the minutes went. Flashes of energy in the first half such as the Randolph-Macon game showed promise, but second halves became an effort to get by with the lead created.
 
Fast forward to this matchup where the team started fast and kept the throttle down, and no matter who's number was called, they started hot.
 
Mallory had stepped up in conference play in the starting lineup and hit a deep three to open up scoring.
 
Early the team had shown a lot of movement at the top of the key to create two scenarios; someone move around the high screen and take contact at the basket or get enough movement to create space and make multiple quick passes to get the quality shot.
 
Jevon Yarbrough (Williamsport, Md./Williamsport) took the ball up top but did the dirty work to make contact at the basket and get his rebound and the putback. Cox is currently shooting over 50 percent from beyond the arc and his only two threes of the night came early in the first as Mustang defenders tried to figure out who to guard.
 
With the multi-pass scheme, wealth is spread among the scorers on the team leaving room for the Blazers to run away on the offensive end. Even with the Mustangs shooting well from the field, their turnovers were recycled into points for Hood and a rate that could be kept up with.
 
The Mustangs tried to keep up with the pace, but when Will Spencer (Davidsonville, Md./Boys' Latin School) got his number called it turned the game from a battle to a chase. An inbound by Linton to an open Will Spencer (Davidsonville, Md./Boys' Latin School) resulted in a buried three and on the ensuing possession a kick out to Spencer and to a hot-handed Mallory resulted in another three for the Blazers. To cap off the streak, Spencer called for the ball in transition, and they found him the corner as another three put Hood up by 19 with moinutes left in the first half.
 
The second half showed the endurance of Linton as he was still willing to take passes on the run and go full steam at the basket, determined to make buckets. His efforts and the rest of the scoring trio kicked in and put Hood on cruise control for much of the second half.
 
The upside to the lopsided score is that the depth of team gets valuable minutes and creates that next man up mentality that teams look for. CJ Jackson (Elkridge, Md./Boys' Latin School) showed that in his matchups that he can work in the paint and take control. Ivan Quijada (Frederick, Md./Frederick High School) has been getting reps all season in the full court press and it started to pay off as tired guards had to face confident fresh legs.
 
"We've really turned the corner offensively the last two games with our pace and decision-making," said head coach Chad Dickman. "We're sharing the ball and executing well, and it helps to shoot the three-ball at such a high clip. We got to clean some things up defensively, but I think we're starting to click. Big one on Saturday."
 
Analysis

Hood outscored Stevenson on the fast break 24-4.

The Mustangs overall shot 45 percent from the field, but Hood shot at 57 percent and scored 30 points off of turnovers.
 
For the Opponent

Ronald Ayers finished with 16 points and three assists.
 
Notes

Hood improves to 11-5, 4-1 in conference to park themselves in second place.

Stevenson drops to 6-10, 0-5 in conference sits just above Messiah in seventh place.
 
Up Next

The squad will host MAC Commonwealth leader York College of Pennsylvania in Woodsboro Bank Arena this weekend on Saturday, January 25 with tip-off at approximately 3 p.m. directly after the women's matchup.