Volcanoes use muscle to defeat Hotshots

Standing four inches taller than the tallest of his competition, Vancouver Volcanoes center Bryson McKenzie turned his height into a powerful weapon.

The muscle-armed, 240-pound McKenzie did the same with his bulk, easily moving through defenders and clearing space.

By the time his work was completed Friday night, McKenzie had recorded a game-high 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, pulled down 10 rebounds and three blocks.

And he lifted the Volcanoes to a 136-111 victory over the Central Oregon Hotshots in an International Basketball League matchup at the O’Connell Sports Complex before an estimated crowd of 500.

McKenzie said every positive thing he did on the court came down to fundamentals.

And while pouring the ball in the basket and bullying his way through the lane are meaningful, McKenzie takes more pride in playing the game the right way.

“It’s not enough just to be tall,” said McKenzie, who played college ball at Northern Illinois and is a native of Gary, Ind. “You also have to know how to use your body and play with your teammates.”

McKenzie did just that, keying a Vancouver offensive attack that saw the Volcanoes fire away with a 43-point first quarter. Vancouver scored at least 35 points in every quarter but the second.

Andre Murray scored 26 points and dished out a game-high seven assists to guide the Volcanoes (5-4), while sharpshooter Brad Lechtenberg recorded 22 points and sank 7 of his 9 3-point attempts.

Vancouver has won five of its last six games, after dropping three straight to begin the season.

McKenzie said the Volcanoes are like a family. And after dealing with a fluid roster during the beginning of the year, Vancouver finally has all of its members in one place.

“You could see that in the first quarter,” Volcanoes coach/owner Bryan Hunter said. “We played with a rhythm, and that really got us going.”

Vancouver shot 49 percent (50 of 102) from the field, and the Volcanoes connected on 48 percent (15 of 31) of their 3-point attempts.

A hot hand that lasted nearly the entire game was too much for a Central Oregon team that often lost focus on the defensive end.

Hassan Stewart topped the Hotshots (3-4) with 25 points.

Vancouver took a 28-14 lead after Lechtenberg sank a 3-pointer from the left baseline with 3 minutes, 48 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Volcanoes stretched their advantage to 43-20 heading into the second period.

A 3-pointer by Lechtenberg from the right baseline with 4 seconds left in the second quarter gave Vancouver a 62-42 lead at halftime.

The Volcanoes then maintained at least a 20-point margin throughout the third quarter.

A late charge by the Hotshots pulled Central Oregon within 101-89 early in the final period.

But Vancouver continued to fire away, propelled by 49 bench points and a 74-point second half.

“We’re finding our way,” McKenzie said. “It took some time, but we’re doing it.”

Vancouver travels to take on the BC Titans at 7 p.m. tonight.

The Volcanoes’ next home game is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 21 at Clark College.

Vancouver Volcanoes 136, Central Oregon Hotshots 111

CENTRAL OREGON (3-4) — Maras 1-2 0-0 3, Session 3-7 2-2 8, Scipio 0-1 0-0 0, Crisp 4-12 2-2 12, D. Maras 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 11-24 2-2 25, Bryant 1-4 0-1 2, Gregg 9-15 2-3 23, Lockhart 6-15 3-4 17, Lott 2-9 5-6 9, Akpan 5-6 0-2 10. 43-96 16-22 111.

VANCOUVER (5-4) — Kevin Bloodsaw 1-5 1-6 3, Andre Murray 10-16 3-4 26, Damon King 1-8 0-2 3, Devin Uskoski 6-11 5-8 18, Bryson McKenzie 11-13 5-9 27, Brad Lechtenberg 7-10 1-2 22, Kenta Nakashima 0-1 1-2 1, Itrelle Lambert 0-5 0-0 0, Alex Hartman 5-12 2-4 13, Gary Muzzy 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Teinfenthaler 6-15 1-2 14, Michael Cooper 0-0 0-0 0, Kevin Tyner 3-6 2-3 9. 50-102 15-31 136.

Central Oregon 20 22 40 29—111

Vancouver 43 19 39 35—136

Rebounds — Central Oregon 54 (Gregg 8), Vancouver 58 (Uskoski 12). Assists — Central Oregon 16 (four tied with 3), Vancouver 26 (Murray 7). 3-pointers — Central Oregon 9-23 (Gregg 3); Vancovuer 15-31 (Lechtenberg 7). Largest lead — 30 (Vancouver)