By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer, Tyler Morning Telegraph

Malcolm Moore, Byron Maxson and Labree Sledge combined for 67 points and made for a miserable Wednesday night for Lamar State-Port Arthur.

The trio helped Tyler Junior College shoot 67 percent from the field in the second half and dominate the final 12 minutes in a 95-73 victory over the Seahawks at Wagstaff Gymnasium.

The Apaches (13-5, 6-4 Region XIV) clung to a two-point lead with 13 minutes to play before a 9-0 run began taking the fight out of the Seahawks (15-6, 5-5), who have notable wins this season over Navarro and Lon Morris.

The key run started with a Kyle Ford 3-pointer off the bench, followed by buckets from Johnathan Edwards, Sledge and Moore to make it 65-54.

Lamar State scored on the next possession, but Sledge countered with a 3-pointer to give the Apaches a double-digit lead for the duration.

Moore, a 6-6 freshman forward from Iowa City, Iowa, riddled the Seahawks in the paint with 27 points on 10-of-14 shooting. Moore also made 7 of 11 free throws.

"They got the ball inside and we didn't have an answer," said Lamar State head coach Matt Cross, who guided the Texas College program two years ago. "No matter what defense we tried, we didn't have an answer."

Edwards, a 6-9 sophomore forward, achieved a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.

Maxson, often the one leading TJC's fast break, had 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Sledge had pinpoint accuracy from the outside with 20 points, including four 3-pointers, and three assists.

Apaches point guard Mitch Marquis added to his league-leading assist total with eight, as he engineered a TJC offense that shot 58 percent for the game and went to the free-throw line 32 times.

Meanwhile, Lamar State led for the majority of the first half despite getting into early foul trouble.

Ahyaro Phillips, the Seahawks' leading rebounder and shot-blocker, scored 10 points in the first half but none in the second. The 6-8 forward picked up his third foul with 1:28 to play in the first half and TJC leading 41-35.

Phillips got his fourth foul in the first minute of the second half.

"Once their shot-blocker got into that much foul trouble, they were a little exposed at the basket," said TJC head coach Mike Marquis. "Just like anytime we lose our size, or we lose Malcolm, things change a little bit. To our kids' credit, they really shared the ball well and enabled us to get a few extra baskets.

"I was real impressed with Lamar. I thought they made shots (early), they had some nice sets and wrinkles against our zone."

Lacking a big inside presence, the Seahawks often settled for jump shots and never caught fire. They were 3-of-14 from 3-point range in the first half and 3-for-19 in the second half when they shot 30 percent overall.

"He's really the only solid post, especially offensively that can score," Cross said of Phillips. "When he got in foul trouble, it definitely changed the game. Without him, we were basically playing with guards on the floor."

In other Region XIV men's action, it was Kilgore 72, Blinn 52; Navarro 96, Angelina 63; Trinity Valley 81, Lee 61; San Jacinto 82, Panola 75; and Paris 68, Lon Morris 62. … The women's results were Trinity Valley 80, Angelina 69; Kilgore 60, Blinn 53; and Lon Morris 72, Paris 59.

-- -- --

Tyler 95, Lamar-Port Arthur 73

LAMAR STATE -- Von Jones, 10; Dion Waiters, 10; Keenen Coleman, 0; Nick Walters, 6; Kavon Rose, 12; Ahyaro Phillips, 10; Gordon Ball, 9; Roman Vaughn, 16.

FG

27-73

FT

13-19.

TYLER

-- Kyle Ford, 10; Mitch Marquis, 4; RJ Samuels, 3; Labree Sledge, 20; Johnathan Edwards, 11; Byron Maxson, 20; Kader Tapsoba, 0; Malcolm Moore, 27.

FG

33-57

FT

23-32.

THREE POINT GOALS

-- LSPA (6-33): Jones, Walters (2), Rose (2), Ball; TJC (6-14): Ford (2), Sledge (4).

HALFTIME SCORE

-- Tyler 43-40.

TURNOVERS

-- LSPA: 10; TJC: 19.

REBOUNDS

-- LSPA: 29; TJC: 46.

RECORDS

-- Lamar-Port Arthur 15-6 (5-5); Tyler 13-5 (6-4).

NEXT UP

-- Trinity Valley at Lamar-Port Arthur, 4 p.m. Saturday; Tyler at Jacksonville, 4 p.m. Saturday.

EST. ATT.

-- 600.

Link to Original Article:  http://tylerpaper.com/article/20100128/SPORTS06/1280310