By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
CONCORD ó It wasnít quite men against boys on Friday in the Robinson gym, but it was seniors against sophomores, and thatís almost the same thing.
Robinsonís experienced Bulldogs shredded Carson 79-47, and there was never any doubt about the outcome after the Bulldogs surged to early leads of 14-2 and 20-5.
ěI didnít expect it to be like this because Carson always can fill it up,î Robinson coach Joe Pike said. ěBut weíve got four senior starters back and we were ready to play.î
Pike explained that Robinson let one get away on Thursday against 4A Butler.
ěWe lost a game we felt like we shouldíve won and we had a very stern conversation about it for about 45 minutes today, and I really didnít know how our guys would react,î Pike said. ěThere was very little pregame chit-chat in the locker room, so I didnít know if we were going to be flat or focused. But then we came out there all business.î
Carson, still feeling pretty good about its 16-point win against Central Cabarrus on Thursday, ran into a buzz-saw. The Cougars turned it over a bunch and couldnít get quality shots when they did survive Robinsonís pressure.
ěWe didnít adjust well to their speed or their intensity,î Carson coach Brian Perry said. ěThereís nothing we can do except try to learn from it. Hopefully, this game will make an impression on us, so we donít let it happen again.î
Carson (2-2) made just six field goals in the first half and trailed 49-22 at the break.
Robinson, which was scoring inside and out, put up 31 points in the second quarter alone, and not much went right for the Cougars, who had guards Tre Williams and Travis Abbitt burdened by foul trouble.
ěI donít think that our playing back-to-back nights was a huge factor, but our youth and playing on the road had a lot to do with what happened tonight,î Perry said. ěRobinson was the aggressor from the outset, and we never did anything to change that.î
The bright spot for the Cougars was burly sophomore post man Myquon Stout, a Charles Barkley-type, right down to his No. 34 jersey.
Stout, a standout football lineman and track thrower, has surprising agility for a guy with such a thick body, and he powered in 16 points.
ěStout was the positive,î Perry said. ěHe does a great job of getting position and posting up, and we want to get him the ball. He didnít shoot free throws as well as he normally does or he couldíve had a really big night.î
Williams added eight points for Carson.
Quick Robinson guard Sean Smith sat down early after scoring 18 points. Elijah Hampton and Brody Koerner added a dozen apiece. Koerner, a standout baseball pitcher headed to Clemson, appeared to be the most fired-up guy on the floor, and his teammates fed off his intensity.
It was another foul-fest, but the Cougars failed to take advantage of numerous opportunities at the line. Carson missed a dozen free throws in the second half, and three times the Cougars failed to get a single point after earning two-shot fouls.
There will be nights like this for the Cougars. Theyíre too young to avoid it.
ěWeíll have our ups and downs, for sure,î Perry said. ěThis was a down. Like I said, weíve gotta learn from it.î
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NOTES: Carsonís Malachi Parker has a torn ACL, although heís trying to play with a brace. … Nick Martin and Wyatt Bigelow hit fourth-quarter free throws for their first points of the season.
CARSON (47) ó Stout 16, Williams 8, Parker 4, Raper 4, Laws 4, Love 3, Gilbert 3, Abbitt 3, Martin 1, Bigelow 1, Broome, Howard.
ROBINSON (79) ó Smith 18, Hampton 12, Koerner 12, Lowe 7, Anzenberger 6, Barnes 6, Lee 5, Bundy 4, Boothe 4, Dixon 3, Tucker 2, Matthews, Arlin.
Carson 5 17 17 8 ó 47
Robinson 18 31 17 13 ó 79