2A Prep Boys Basketball: R.A. Long deploys tight defense, cooks Ridgefield

Mashed Potatoes — Jacks continue to pick up steam in 68-46 win over Spuds

R.A. Long’s Joshua Crane drives into the paint during a win over Woodland on Jan. 7, at The Lumberdome. On Thursday, Jan. 9, Crane was back in his bag, scoring a game-high 26 points at home in a 68-46 win over Ridgefield. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Dacota Haynes for Blast Zone Media

Heading into Thursday’s matchup between R.A. Long and Ridgefield most everyone thought it would be a thriller of some sort. After all, each team entered the game with just one league loss and the Spudders had already knocked off No. 10 ranked Mark Morris in an early season matchup.

But a barnburner never developed at The Lumberdome thanks to a ferocious defensive effort from the hosts that’s beginning to look awful familiar. The Lumberjacks followed the same recipe as Tuesday’s win over Woodland by immediately jumping on the Spudders and refusing to let the visitors come up for air.

By the end the Jacks held a 68-46 victory at Ridgefield’s expense. But that score doesn’t convey the true nature of the blowout.

“It was a big game tonight,” Jeray Key explained after. “We were ready to go, jumped on them early and played well.”