EVERETT – Even if it ain’t broke, the Everett Explosion are still going to fix it.
The Explosion changed starting lineups again on Tuesday night – that’s seven times in nine games, for those keeping score – and kept up to their winning ways, defeating the Eugene Chargers 138-121 in front of an announced crowd of 1,193 at the Events Center.
“What I try to do is give everybody a chance (to start) so that when it gets to the playoffs, I know who can do what,” said Everett coach Randy Redwine, whose team led by as many as 30 points on more than one occasion.
The Explosion (7-2) hit 19 3-pointers and hassled Eugene to the tune of 31 turnovers to record its third consecutive double-digit win.
Shooting guard Chris Weakley, making his first start of the season, scored 12 of his 19 points in the first half as Everett stormed out to a 22-point halftime lead. He was inserted into the lineup because Eugene (4-3) has a guard-oriented offense and Redwine wanted to spread the court out.
“If coach (Redwine) is asking me to come off the bench, I’ll come off the bench,” Weakley said. “If he’s asking me to start, I’ll start. Whatever it takes.”
Donald Watts, who was coming off the bench for the second game in a row, led Everett’s balanced attack with 22 points. Backup point guard Jamaal Miller added 21, while Rashaad Powell had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The Explosion started strong, with Powell hitting a 3-pointer off the opening tip and Weakley adding a 3 on the next possession. Justin Murray’s driving layin gave Everett an 8-0 lead, and Weakley eventually hit another 3 en route to a 17-3 advantage.
The Explosion led by as many as 30 points in the first half, eventually settling for a 71-49 halftime advantage. Everett hit 12 3-pointers and forced 17 Eugene turnovers in the first 24 minutes of action. Weakley had four 3s, including one from about 30 feet away.
“I shoot that shot every day in practice,” Weakley said, “so coach (Redwine) lets me shoot it in the games.”
A 9-1 spurt to open the second half gave the Explosion another 30-point lead, and Everett was not tested after that. The Explosion scored their 100th point with one minute left in the third quarter en route to their third-highest point total of the season.
Throughout the game, Redwine continued to shuffle his lineup. His first substitution came six minutes into the game, when he replaced all five starters with five fresh bodies. He experimented by using point guards Darrell Walker and Miller together for extended periods. Redwine also used a bigger lineup that featured Powell at the point, although with not as much success.
Miller was the most successful point guard, although he did have seven turnovers.
“Jamaal’s a diamond in the rough,” Redwine said. “Jamaal has tons of talent, but he’s also a student of the game.”
Miller and Watts led a bench that contributed 75 points. Even seldom-used center Mike Jones, a Cascade High School graduate, contributed by scoring six points, all in the first 2 minutes of the second quarter.
No matter who was on the floor, the combinations worked. While the Explosion have seen big leads whittled down far too many times this season, Tuesday’s game was a rare outing where they were never tested. Eugene scored back-to-back baskets to cut the deficit to 32-23 late in the first quarter, but the Chargers never got within single digits the rest of the way.
“I felt pretty confident throughout the game,” Redwine said. “You can judge the flow of the game, and they didn’t push us much. They didn’t accept the challenge.”
Afterward, Redwine found himself looking for bigger and better challenges. Even though Everett has two games before facing West Division-leading Portland (9-2) on May 20, Redwine is getting a little anxious.
“We’re taking on all challengers right now, one at a time,” he said. “Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself here, but I’m really anxious to play Portland.
“The way I see it, we’re 1-1 against teams from Oregon (including a loss to Salem two weeks ago), and I want to break the tie.”
Notes: Guard Ralph Steele (injury) and center David White (attending classes at Seattle U.) were not in uniform for Tuesday’s game. … The Explosion’s next two games are home-and-away contests against the Tacoma Jazz (3-6). The two teams play Tuesday at Mount Tahoma High School, then square off again at the Events Center the following night.
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