By Don Ketchum

Glendale Raymond S. Kellis boys basketball coach Curtis Green had some advice for his players before they took the floor against host Peoria Sunrise Mountain on Wednesday night (Dec. 8).

The night before, Raymond S. Kellis lost to Peoria High.

“I told them that they could sulk and worry about what went wrong, or they could come out and play better,’’ Green said.

The Cougars chose the latter option.

Sparked by a 17-0 run to close out the second quarter, Raymond S. Kellis took control of the game and produced a 59-50 victory.

The primary reason for the big run was defense.

“We started playing better defense and put on more pressure,’’ Green said. “That allowed us to get the ball back quicker and push the ball up floor.’’

The Cougars’ two big men, 6-foot-9 Kenny Martin and 6-5 Jarvis Lewis, combined for 13 of the team’s 19 points in the quarter. Sunrise Mountain could not control both of them.

“That’s difficult for teams to do,’’ Green said.

Lewis got in foul trouble in the second half, but Martin made his presence felt at both ends of the floor, using his long arms to block shots and rebound. He threw down a few jams and hit the team’s only three-pointer, finishing with 25 points. Lewis, sort of a “Mini Shaq,’’ scored 9, all in the first half.

Sunrise Mountain used its outside shooting to avoid getting blown out, but could not get close enough to reverse the momentum. The Mustangs hit seven three-pointers on the night.

Wing player Brandon Kocmoud hit two of the treys and led Sunrise Mountain with 11 points, all in the second half.