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Show 6 THE SUN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2000 c Rebels comeback continues with weekend sweep By Stephen Vincent Sports Editor . vtncent77hotmaiI com Its hard to believe, but just six weeks ago, the Dixie College mens basketball team was 4 in Scenic West Athletic Conference and just hoping to salvage the season. At the time, Dixies players looked about as compatible as Republicans and Democrats. And Rebel fans were already looking forward to next season and asking questions such as how good is this Dave Tarwater (a transfer player who will be eligible next season)? 10-- 5 Since then, the Rebels (18-SWAC) have made a remarkable recovery by winning ten of their last eleven games. Last weekend, Dixie beat two quality squads: North Idaho College, and Ricks College, In the last month and a half, the Rebels have quickly bonded together and made a strong runfor the conference title (they are currendy in third place). Keys to the Rebels Success include the emergence of Bnan Beckstrand and Josh Clark, the heady play of veterans Maunce Baker and Vance Lawhom, and, most importandy, the great improvements made by Marcus Banks. Banks has elevated his game to match that of Bakers, forming what is quite clearly the best backcourt combi-nano- n in the SWAC, and probably the best in the nation. Those two kids are phenomenal players, said Dixie coach Jeff Kidder 0-- 73-6- 85-7- Photo by Stephanie Yunker Dixies Marcus Banks goes up for a lay-u- p in the second half of the Rebels win over Ricks College on Saturday night. Im very fortunate to be able to coach them. Some coaches could through an entire career and never coach players like them. The backcourt duo took over in the Rebels win over Ricks. In the victory, Banks had 27 points and Baker added 26. But the r combination much than points. the Rebels more gives Banks has an amazing ability to penetrate the lane and an equally incredible ability to finish the play. There have been several times this season when Banks has just made opponents look silly while burning them with his crossover dnbble. Bakers impact has been equally important. Baker always manages to get his team rebounds and steals, and he also is an excellent defender But against Ricks, it was another duo that got the Rebels going early on. Brian Beckstrand hit two three pointers in the opening minutes of the game, then Mike Griffin added another to give Dixie an early lead. You cant minimize the importance of the three point shots by Beckstrand and Griffin, said Kidder That got the crowd in the game early.. Dixie also kept the game to their style, which proved to be an advantage. When we press, that speeds us up, said Baker We knew they wouldnt run with us. first half, the In the d Rebels and Vikings combined for 1 1 Banks-Bake- -- three-pointer- s. Dixie would take control of the runs. game with two key second-hal- f With Dixie up Lawhom hit two free throws. Then Banks powered in a p between three defenders, and Gnfifin hit his second three pointer of the contest to open up a 46-3- lay-u- -- I With 20 menu items under $4, a fast Italian course at Fazoli's is cheaper than an Italian college course. In a matter of minutes well have you speaking words like Ziti, Fettuccine and Lasagna. And then you can eat your words. Council !MMI 1 ihmr-- S3 $ur-1 IS83 qhfiY- d -' 'A K-- Real Italian. Real Fast : 1271-; L. F is lOd'yi ith, at the comer of Ki or Real and 10C South Phone 6V121! vz advantage. But Ricks answered with two in a row. The Rebels responded immediately by going on a 0 run to lead. The key play open up an in the run came when Clark went high to reject a Viking shot. Clark made solid contact with the ball, sending it down-couwhere it was recovered by Banks who outraced a defender to the ball, stormed down the court, and laid the ball in the basket while forcing the Ricks player to commit a foul. After the run was over, Dixie had claimed a 4 lead. Although Ricks would rally, they would never get closer than nine points the rest of the way. Against North Idaho, the Banks-Bakcombination again came up big. The two scored all but three of the Rebels points in the final she minutes as the Rebels held on down the stretch to 6 win. earn the With the Cardinals rallying and less than two minutes left in the game, Baker hit a big three pointer. Then Lawhom scored inside to give Dixie an eight-poilead. From there, Banks and Baker would combine to hit seven of ten free throws to preserve the game for Dixie. Banks also played a key role in a spurt early in the second half. Up by just one point at halftime, Banks got the Beckstrand Rebels started with a lay-ufollowed with a Then Clark scored two consecutive baskets inside. Banks and Beckstrand would score again to cap a 13-- 2 run that gave Dixie a 7 lead. Banks and Lawhom both had 17 points in the game, but the key performance came from Clark who had 12 points and 13 rebounds. three-pointe- 9-- rt 62-4- 73-6- -- three-point- 48-3- GAME NOTES: While the crowds did bring a lot of noise to the Bums arena over the weekend, there were a couple of occasions in which Kidder would have preferred the fans were a bit more quiet. In both games, the cheerleaders began throwing pizzas out when the Rebels were at the line to shoot key free throws. (Against Salt Lake), I called a time-obecause it is a distraction," said Kidder. Our cheerleaders do a great job of generating noise. We just need to ... them generate the noise when the other team is on the line. |