Before this season tipped off, Eastern View boys basketball assistant coach Jerome Pollard issued a challenge to Corey Long: record a double-double in every game.
Whether or not Pollard believed the Cyclones' forward could actually accomplish the feat every night remains to be seen, but Long is doing his best to answer the call.
Long posted his sixth double-double of the year Wednesday night, scoring 11 points and pulling down 17 rebounds to boost homestanding Eastern View to an 81-73 victory over Chancellor in a high-profile Battlefield District clash.
The win avenged the Cyclones' (9-1 overall, 8-1 district) only loss thus far this season—a 74-59 setback to the Chargers (6-3, 6-3) on Jan. 8. It also keeps them tied in the loss column with Courtland (8-2, 7-1) for first place in the Battlefield. The two squads are scheduled to meet on Friday at Eastern View.
"I go out there knowing I can get a [double-double] every game," the 6-foot-5 junior said. "Even aside from [Pollard] challenging me, I set goals that I know I can achieve that are high standards, and that one's a big deal for me."
Long corralled 10 boards by halftime as the Cyclones built a 25-12 edge on the backboards and a 34-30 lead on the scoreboard. His bruising style set the tone for the rest of the evening, as Eastern View went on to finish with a 44-27 rebounding advantage over a smaller, guard-heavy Chancellor team.
"He's averaging a double-double," Cyclones head coach Patrick Thornhill said of Long. "He gets in there and fights for every rebound, every night."
Another 6-5 forward, Rickey Butler, made his presence known on the glass as well, grabbing 12 rebounds.
"I don't think we should've lost to [Chancellor] the first time," said Butler, who also tallied a team-high 22 points. "I think we should be undefeated right now, and we proved that tonight."
Butler's scoring was critical in helping Eastern View build its lead from the second quarter on. He scored nine points in the second to help the hosts erase a 13-11 first-period deficit, then totaled another six in the third as they opened up a 56-45 edge going into the final stanza.
"Rickey did a great job of being in the right place at the right time," Thornhill added. "He rebounded the basketball and was really able to execute, especially around the basket."
The Cyclones also received double-figure scoring efforts from senior point guard D'Aze Hunter and freshman guard Amaree Robinson, who registered 20 and 15 points in the contest, respectively.
The Chargers were able to cut Eastern View's advantage to six points on two occasions during the fourth quarter, due in large part to the play of senior guards Shane Batten and A.J. Coghill. Batten poured in 14 of his game-high 30 points in the frame, while Coghill added eight of his 22 during that time.
"We got in a little bit of a hole there late in the third quarter and just couldn't quite dig out of it," Chancellor head coach Craig Boothe said. "We missed some key layups in the fourth quarter, which I think was due to some fatigue. Shane and A.J. played their tails off, but they also played basically the entire game without a rest until that fatigue finally kicked in late."
Chancellor (6-3, 6-3): Shane Batten 30, Ziggy Carter 10, A.J. Coghill 22, Alijah Callahan 0, Jaden Voyd 2, Jason Jackson 3, Zachary Anderson 0, Dawud Smith 2, Da'Juan Johnson 4. Totals: 26 16-22 73.
Eastern View (9-1, 8-1): Amaree Robinson 15, Rickey Butler 22, Gio Maxie 9, D'Aze Hunter 20, Corey Long 11, D'Myo Hunter 1, Taharka Siaca Bey 3. Totals: 24 30-48 81
3-pointers: Chancellor 5 (Batten 2, Coghill 2, Carter). Eastern View 3 (Butler 2, D'Aze Hunter).
