The Ramsay boys basketball team is good at running. Both literally and figuratively.

So much so that the ninth-ranked Rams broke off three scoring runs of at least 8 consecutive points and stormed their way to a 74-43 victory over Russellville in Friday’s Class 5A Northwest Regional semifinal at Wallace State’s Traditions Bank Arena in Hanceville.

Ramsay (22-8) jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first three minutes of action and answered an and-1 opportunity from Russellville’s KJ Murray with an 8-0 run – ignited by Jayden Williams – to build a 14-3 lead late in the opening period. The Golden Tigers were able to score 8 points in the final two minutes, but cut the deficit by 4 as Ramsay’s Cameron Ruffin knocked down a 3-pointer, followed by a free throw from Alabama football signee QB Reese.

JaQuille Malone got the Rams on the board to start the second quarter and Ramsay hit another 8-0 run, following a midrange shot from Russellville’s EJ King, in surging ahead to a 28-13 lead midway through the period. Murray stroked back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead down to 11 points, but the Rams closed out the half on an 11-4 run to take a 36-23 advantage into the halftime break.

The Rams extended their lead to 20 points to open the second half – Jeremiah Ford nailing a first-possession 3-pointer and Williams adding on a layup – but Russellville finally found its stroke and carved into the lead on an 11-0 run, reducing the deficit back down to 11 points with a little less than three minutes remaining in the third period.

However, Ramsay closed out the quarter with a 12-0 run, powered by consecutive buckets from Williams and capped with his midrange jumper, and carried a 59-36 edge into the final period.

Russellville (18-6) opened the fourth quarter with a 5-2 run, but could not sustain its defensive effort in allowing a 13-2 game-sealing run – bookended on dunks from Ford and Malone – by the Rams. The Golden Tigers were held to a single made field goal in the final 6:37 of the game.

Did you know? Ramsay advances to its sixth straight regional final and 15th in program history. The Rams made seven consecutive state tournament appearances between the 2005 and 2009 seasons and won three straight state titles (2005-2007) during that stretch. Ramsay has made five straight state tournaments (2019-2023).

By the numbers: The Rams shot 50 percent overall from the field, grabbed 18 steals off 23 turnovers, resulting in 37 points, and had 19 assists on 32 made field goals. Russellville was held to 39.1 percent overall, while going only 2-of-18 from 3-point range, and lost the rebounding battle as Ramsay owned a plus-8 edge on the glass.

Stat sheet: Ramsay – Williams finished with a game-high 24 points on 12-of-22 shooting, adding 2 assists and 6 steals, and Ford produced a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, along with 2 assists and 2 steals. Malone had 10 points and 6 rebounds, followed by Zedrick Powell and Reese with 8 points each while combining for 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 steals. Russellville – King had a team-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting and added 8 rebounds to his line, and Murray finished with 14 points, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Braylnn Vincent and Jah Williams scored 4 points each and combined for 10 rebounds.

Coachspeak: “Russellville likes to play tempo as well, they shoot a lot of 3s, and from the nine-game sample we had, they averaged 27 (3-point attempts) a game. So, it was a game of runs and they went on one. In the fourth, we emphasized lock-down gap assignment and defensive stuff we focus on.” – Ramsay’s Denton Johnson

“Super proud of our guys. When you look at the 5A Northwest region, there are a lot of good teams that didn’t make it out of sub-state play so this is high-level basketball. We knew we had our hands full with Ramsay. There’s a reason why they’ve had the success they’ve had in the past. Love our guys. We came out and competed in the third quarter, made a run and gave ourselves a chance, but they (Ramsay) did what a good team does and matched our run. That doesn’t take away from these guys’ accomplishments.” – Russellville’s Patrick Odom

They said it: “With being a point guard, I know I play for my teammates first and myself second. I noticed there were a lot of mismatches from my standpoint and my bigs and focused on playing in the paint.” – Jayden Williams

“We got to stay humble and hungry. We got to get over this hump the last few years. Got to say humble and hungry.” – Jeremiah Ford

What’s next? Ramsay advances to face either No. 1 Fairfield or No. 6 Madison Academy in Wednesday’s Northwest Regional final at Wallace State’s Traditions Bank Arena.