"We worked hard defensively, we played hard, we played smart offensively. I couldn't ask for more than that."
Garrard (4-3) had no trouble turning back a Berea team that beat Danville in overtime three days earlier.
The Lions got the jump on Berea right away, taking advantage of eight first-quarter turnovers by the Pirates, four of which led directly to Garrard baskets.
"We have to come out with energy every night, and we're starting to see it," DeForest said.
Berea (3-2) was still within 11 points at halftime, but the Pirates, who had hit half of their shots in the first half, scored only 12 points in the second half on 5-of-25 shooting.
Garrard hit 65 percent of its attempts in the first half and shot 57 percent (24-for-42) overall.
The Lions' balanced offense featured four double-figure scorers, led by guards Nate Ploskonka and Tyler Woods with 15 points each.
When they weren't scoring on runouts, as they did frequently in the first quarter, they patiently moved the ball around the perimeter in search of back-door baskets.
"When we showed Berea what we could do, it really took Berea out of their game plan," DeForest said.
Broke game open early
Garrard broke a 4-all tie in the early going with 12 straight points, then extended its lead to 29-12 in the second quarter.
The Lions outscored Berea 10-3 over the first 4 minutes, 7 seconds of the second half to go up 43-25. The margin ballooned to 27 points in the fourth quarter, when the Pirates scored only twice.
"Something we haven't done until tonight - we really focused on it the last two days - we controlled the tempo from start to finish," DeForest said. "When we wanted to run we ran, and when we wanted to slow it down we did that."
Justin Ray and Jordan Phillips scored 10 points each for Garrard. Ray had 12 rebounds and Evan Preston had eight as the Lions outrebounded Berea 29-24.
Ben Flara scored Berea's first 12 points and led all scorers with 21.
BEREA (3-2) - Ryan Smith 2, Tyler Mills 2, Josh Campbell 5, Ben Flara 21, Chase Riddle 2, Logan Hutchins 2.
GARRARD (4-3) - Hunter Hensley 4, Evan Preston 4, Nate Ploskonka 15, Justin Ray 10, Tyler Woods 15, Fred Hayes 2, Jordan Phillips 10.
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