Auburn Riverside junior wing EJ Taylor had a simple explanation for his newfound shooting prowess.
Better health.
Taylor, who scored a game-high 24 points during the Ravens’ 68-54 win Tuesday night against Enumclaw in a South Puget Sound League 3A contest, said an injury that has plagued him through the early part of the season is beginning to improve.
“I’m coming off a sprained (left) ankle, but it’s getting a lot better and I’m glad to be helping out the team a lot more,” he said.
Nothing seemed to slow Taylor early against the visiting Hornets. He made his first three 3-pointers, including a bank shot.
“I didn’t call that,” Taylor said with a laugh.
His final 3-pointer of the quarter came at the buzzer to give Auburn Riverside a 23-8 lead.
“It was nice to see him shooting the ball well,” coach Kevin Olson said. “It really helps when he’s an offensive threat for us.”
And Taylor was not alone. Senior post Quintin Bethea (11), and juniors Julian Gulchuk (13) and O’Darious Shaw (10) also produced double-digit points.
“I think that’s the big thing I’m trying to get across to these guys,” Olson said. “When we play together, share the ball, move it around and take turns … it makes for a pretty good offense for us.”
Taylor shared similar sentiments.
“It’s the whole team contributing,” he said. “As we get better as a brotherhood, we get better as a team.”
A significant part of that came through the Ravens’ defense. Auburn Riverside (5-2 overall, 2-1 league) forced the Hornets into 18 turnovers during the first half. Many of those resulted in transition layups as the Ravens converted nearly 54 percent of their shots during the first 16 minutes.
“I think that’s probably our strength in this league,” Olson said. “We’re just getting after it using our athletic ability, quickness and length. It’s giving people trouble in the full court and passing lanes. I think that’s our strength, and I thought we played good defensively in the first half.”
That did not extend to the second half. Enumclaw (2-4, 0-3) outscored Auburn Riverside 30-27 after the intermission.
“When you get up on a team like that, you would like to come out of halftime and make a statement that the game is over,” Olson said.
Some of that was related to the Ravens’ free-throw woes. Auburn Riverside converted just 12 of 25 attempts from the stripe.
“We’ve actually been shooting pretty well from the line this year,” Olson said. “That was not on display (Tuesday). Luckily, it was not a tight game at the end where that was going to make a difference.”
The Ravens play their final league game before New Year’s Day at 7 tonight at Bonney Lake.
Elsewhere
• At Auburn Mountainview 66, Bonney Lake 46: Ryan Lacey scored a game-high 29 points to help the Lions remain undefeated.
Ki’Jan Weisinger also contributed 11 points for Auburn Mountainview (5-0, 3-0). AJ Andino led Bonney Lake (0-5, 0-3) with nine points.
• Peninsula 77, at Auburn 66: Tyler Pray and Malik Williams combined for 43 points, but it was not enough for the Trojans to pull off the upset in an SPSL 3A contest.
JaQuori McLaughlin’s 29 points led Peninsula (4-0, 3-0). Patreon Lee added 13 points for the Trojans (3-2, 1-2).
