GREENWOOD – Brenton Harris scored 17 points as the Lander Bearcats overcame a sluggish start and routed Voorhees 93-65 in a non-conference game Tuesday night at Horne Arena.
After trailing 27-22 late in the first half, Lander (2-2) used a 44-14 run that bridged the first and second halves to put the game away.
The Bearcats scored 58 points in the second half, had a large 45-24 rebounding edge and also took advantage of their depth, playing 13 players while Voorhees used only six.
Dane Sparrow added 15 points, Da’Shon Barrino 14 points, and Tovi Bailey 12 points for the Bearcats. Harris led Lander with seven rebounds while Greg Smalls and Bailey led the team with five assists apiece. Smalls and Antonio Young each blocked two shots.
Larry Bacon led Voorhees (0-8) with 17 points, Antwan Carter scored 15, Willie Waters 11, and Jeffery Evans 10. Sam Dotson led the Tigers with seven assists and six rebounds.
"In the second half, we were able to come out with a lot of intensity and a lot more energy," Lander coach Jeff Burkhamer said. "We were able to make a couple of shots early and that got us back in the game. I thought we competed better the second half. I thought Tovi had another solid game and Brenton came off the bench and played well. I think the rest of the season, it's going to be a combination of guys and we don't know who it's really going to be (leading us)."
Carter and Bacon hit 3-pointers to stake Voorhees to an early 10-2 lead, and Carter’s second 3 gave the visitors a 13-6 advantage with 12:42 to go.
Lander’s Roy Hinson dunked off a pass from Bailey to pull the Bearcats within 21-20 at the 6:56 mark. Although Smalls made a spectacular blocked shot above the rim to deny a Tigers basket, the visitors were able to push their lead back to 27-22 on their next possession on a basket by Evans with 4:06 left.
Lander closed the first half with a 13-2 run, tying the game for the first time at 27 when Sparrow hit two free throws with 2:56 left in the half. After Carter hit two free throws to put Voorhees back on top, the Bearcats scored the final eight points of the half.
Smalls hit a jumper to tie the game, and Lander took its first lead after Harris got a steal, and then dunked off a pass from Smalls to make it 31-29 with 32 seconds left. Sparrow closed the half by making a 3-pointer, being fouled, and converting a rare four-point play for the 35-29 halftime lead.
Bacon opened the second half with a 3-pointer for the Tigers, but Sparrow answered with a pair of 3-pointers to make it 41-32. The Bearcats continued to build on their advantage with Harris and Smalls hitting jumpers and Sparrow swishing a 3-pointer during a 7-0 run to make it 50-36 with 13:19 remaining.
The run of unanswered points grew to 11 when Harris flushed an emphatic dunk off Curtis Milner’s miss, and Deangelo Spruill hit a jumper to make it 54-36.
The lead increased to 20, 61-41, when Harris made a free throw with 10:24 left, Harris followed with a dunk off an alley-oop pass from Barrino, and Kevin Kelley hit a 3-pointer for a 66-41 advantage. Barrino made back-to-back floaters to push Lander’s lead to 76-47.
Bailey hit a 3-pointer and Barrino scored inside to give the Bearcats their largest lead of the game at 90-57 with under two minutes to go.
For the game, Lander made 38 of 68 shots from the floor (56 percent), nine of 13 free throws (69 percent), and eight of 17 from behind the 3-point line (47 percent).
Voorhees hit 22 of 58 shots from the floor (38 percent), 13 of 17 free throws (77 percent), and eight of 23 from behind the arc (35 percent).
The Bearcats had a large 45-24 rebounding advantage. Voorhees had 16 turnovers to Lander’s 15.
