Monroe Golden Tornadoes dominate North Miami Beach, 67-36

ALBANY — The Monroe Golden Tornadoes cruised to a dominant 67-36 victory over the North Miami Beach Chargers in the opening night of the U-Save-It Classic on Friday, taking full advantage of their speed and depth.

The Chargers struggled to keep pace with Monroe’s up-tempo style, often finding themselves a step or two behind as the Golden Tornadoes raced up and down the court. Monroe Head Coach Michael Hoffpauir wasted no time using his entire bench, starting rotations in the first half to capitalize on his team’s depth and wear down a North Miami squad with limited substitutions.

North Miami Beach took an early 6-4 lead, but Monroe quickly found their rhythm and ended the first quarter ahead 14-8. By halftime, the Golden Tornadoes had extended their lead to 29-17, and the gap only widened in the second half as Monroe dominated on both ends of the floor.

Nehemiah Tinch led the way for the Golden Tornadoes with 18 points, while Lorenzo Still added 12 and Braylon Burns contributed 11 in a balanced offensive performance.

Monroe (2-6) will look to carry this momentum into the Lee County RoundBall Classic, which begins Thursday. The Golden Tornadoes are set to face a tough challenge against Booker T. Washington (13-1) at 5:30 p.m. in their first tournament game.