Idehen scores 22 in MC home debut in 83-31 victory over Enochs

It was going to be a tall order for any Modesto Metro Conference team to beat Modesto Christian this season, but in the last two weeks that task just got a tad taller.

Six-feet, eight-inches taller, to be exact.

The seven-man Crusaders roster added that height in the form of an eighth player, junior center Robinson Idehen, and in his first home game Idehen eruped for 22 points and 18 rebounds as MC downed Enochs 83-31.

“It’s been hard so far for me because that game’s so fast and I’ve never played that fast before,” Idehen said. We’re doing a lot of running - there and back constantly.”

The Crusaders’ 132nd consecutive league win since 1996 came with one tense moment, for which you have to credit an Eagles’ team that came in and executed a clear gameplan.

Enochs, 11-6 overall and 3-1 in the MMC, packed the paint against MC’s twin towers of Idehen and 6-5 Anthony Townes, which they believed gave them a shooter’s chance at pulling off the upset.

After the Crusaders took advantage of a nervous start by the Eagles to lead 24-6 after one quarter, the gameplan worked for the opening four minutes of the second quarter.

Senior guard Matthew Page suddenly found perimeter openings and scored 15 of his 21 points in a 4:11 span to pull Enochs with 34-25. The margin was still a very respectable 16 points, 46-30, when Page drilled the last of his five 3-pointers with 6:06 left in the third quarter.

At that moment, it was almost as if MC decided enough was enough, outscoring Enochs 15-1 the rest of the third quarter, then blanking the Eagles entirely in the fourth.

“We cut it to nine there when the guys relaxed and played,” said Enochs coach Randy Rubio. “At the end of the day, you have to find a way to take away their size and athleticism. But we’re trying to block out and they’re still able to grab every rebound.”

That’s likely to be the case for Modesto Christian in most games within the vertically challenged MMC.

“When Robinson and Anthony are in there together, they’re so hard to match-up against,” said MC coach Richard Midgley. “Anthony is as good a high school player as you’ll find, and then you add another kid who also is a shot-blocking presence back there.”

The Crusaders also beat teams with balance, and they put five players in double figures. Christian Ellis had 15 points, six steals and four assists, Townes finished with 13 points, Jeff Wu 12 and Darrian Grays 11.

Idehen’s home debut was impressive enough, especially given the inside attention Enochs paid MC’s twin towers.

“They were trying to stop us from getting touches inside, so we had the guys on the outside getting wide-open shots,” Idehen said. “It worked out.”

This story was originally published January 14, 2015 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Idehen scores 22 in MC home debut in 83-31 victory over Enochs."