KENT: Junior guard Andre Paulk brought more than just energy off Kent Roosevelt's bench — he provided a highlight dunk, a near full-court 3-pointer and 10 of his team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter.

Paulk's play prompted roars from Kent Roosevelt's home crowd as the Rough Riders captured a 66-57 victory over arch-rival Ravenna in a Portage Trail Conference Metro Division showdown Friday night.

Kent Roosevelt (12-3, 9-1) has won eight consecutive games and 11 of its past 12. After losing to the Ravens (6-9, 5-5) twice last season, the Rough Riders returned the favor to remain in a
tie with Norton for first in the league standings.

Kent Roosevelt coach Cameron Black said the Rough Riders' balanced scoring attack is the main reason they have become one of the area's hottest teams.

''We don't have any isolation plays for any one particular person,'' Black said. ''Paulk is our leading scorer, but he gets no individual plays for himself. It's a team effort out there. On any given night, somebody can step up. The last three or four ball games, we've had a different leading scorer each game. We run a complete-team system.''

Paulk, who is usually a starter, showed the chemistry the Rough Riders have by graciously accepting his role as a reserve.

''I like to help my team,'' Paulk said. ''I came off the bench and gave us what we needed to win.''

He also gave the crowd what it needed to make a difference.

With about 4:25 left in the second quarter, Kent Roosevelt sophomore guard Denerio Bryant, who scored 16 points, started a fast break with Paulk trailing him. Instead of finishing the play himself, Bryant laid the ball off the backboard, allowing Paulk to catch it and slam it through the hoop.

Kent Roosevelt led 30-29 at halftime.

The Ravens, however, outplayed the Rough Riders during the third quarter and appeared to have a five-point lead secured heading into the fourth quarter.

But Ravenna junior guard David Van Meter missed a free throw with 1.8 seconds left in the third quarter. Paulk got the rebound on the low block and launched a shot nearly the length of the floor that went in, cutting the Rough Riders' deficit to 46-44.

Kent Roosevelt's fans responded with thunderous cheers, and the Rough Riders seemed to feed off that energy as they outscored the Ravens 22-11 in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

''We played with them for three quarters,'' Ravenna coach Phil Starks said. ''Our kids played hard. At the end, we kind of fell apart with our turnovers and missed free throws.

''It was very loud. I think the atmosphere got to some of our kids. We are young. For a young team, I felt we showed a lot of positives and some negatives in spurts. Those are growing pains, and we'll get through it.''

Ravenna junior guard Jordan Jones hit three 3-pointers and scored a game-high 22 points. But no other player scored in double figures for Ravenna, and the Ravens couldn't keep up with the Rough Riders' multiple offensive threats as a result.

The Ravens felt the full force of the Rough Riders' attack early in the fourth quarter. Paulk scored all 10 of his fourth-quarter points as Kent Roosevelt went on a 17-6 run to change the momentum and lead for good.

''Our kids are playing real well,'' Black said. ''We didn't score our normal average tonight, but it's OK. We dug deep defensively. We did what we had to do. We made the stops when we had to and we made some good, quality shots as well.''