The Poly Jackrabbits have depended on a physical, aggressive style of defense all season, and up until Friday night’s loss in the Wilson gym, it had served them well—but with 23 team fouls giving Wilson 19 free throw attempts, and Bruin Mike Wilder going from very cold to very hot, it was Wilson who won the game, 52-49. The victory means that Poly tumbles from its thus-far perfect league record, to 7-1, just one game ahead of Jordan, who they’ll face next week. Wilson now improves to 5-3 in league, just one game behind the second-place Panthers, who they’ll host next week.
In the first quarter, it was immediately apparent that Poly’s physicality was a little too physical, as the ‘Rabbits were whistled four times in the first five minutes, while Wilson avoided committing any fouls. The Bruins’ Joel Bitonio also did an excellent job holding down the inside at the game’s outset, as he and Soloman Williams’ defense limited Poly’s Julian Camper and Ryan Anderson to 2/6 shooting, while Bitonio and Wilder grabbed eight rebounds in the first eight minutes—strong inside play was what Wilson was missing the last time these two teams played, when Poly jumped out to a shocking 18-0 lead to start the game.
Then in the second, it was obvious that Poly’s guards were having trouble adjusting to the level of contact the ref’s wanted to see—at the halfway point, they were whistled three times in one Wilson possession. Improved play in the interior, as well as some cold shooting from the Bruins, allowed the Jackrabbits to open up a six-point lead after a Ryan Anderson three-pointer—the lead could have been bigger, but Poly turned the ball over several times. They shot at a high-percentage, but took only seven shots in eight minutes.
In the third, Wilson began to close the gap, as Wilder began to warm from his cold snap (he was just 1/6 from the field in the first half), scoring four of his team’s nine points. Headed into the fourth quarter, it was 35-32 Poly, and the large crowd was hushed, perhaps anticipating how loud they’d be getting minutes later.
The fourth quarter saw an offensive explosion, as 34 points were scored in the final eight minutes of a game which saw only 67 scored in the previous 24. In the beginning, it was all Wilder, and Poly’s interior. Wilder hit eight of Wilson’s first nine points, and Camper and Anderson put in Poly’s first eight. The home crowd was thunderous for the final minute, as Wilder’s late surge spurred his team to a small lead which they narrowly protected with good free-throw shooting, and by not turning the ball over. A Camper three-pointer with less than nine seconds remaining pulled Poly within two, but Wilson’s Zack Reince made one of two free throws to expand the lead to three with just 2.6 seconds left—Poly’s Alexis Moore tried to sprint downcourt to get a desperation shot, but while trying to take off and launch around halfcourt, he was whistled for traveling as time expired.
It’s true that Wilder’s fourth-quarter explosion (14 of his 20 points) spurred the win, but it was the free throw-shooting of he and his teammates, and Poly’s inability to adjust to the refs’ threshold of contact, that made the difference. Wilson only shot 38% from the field, but they took advantage of 23 team fouls by Poly and shot 12/19 from the free throw line (Wilder was 7/8). Poly was 9/14 from the stripe, and it’s hard not to see that three-point differential as the difference in the game. The struggles of Poly’s guards (the normally productive trio of Mike Mayes, Alexis Moore, and Shelton Boykin combined for just 11 points), and Wilder’s unselfishness were also key. In Wednesday’s loss to Millikan, Wilder shot below 25% but still attempted 25 shots. Struggling in the first three quarters of this contest, he chose to become a decoy and a facilitator, allowing Bitonio (seven points), Josh Bell (ten), and Andre Crenshaw Jr. (eight) to carry the team. Then when it was crunch time, the clutch player stepped up and finished the night, hitting four of his last five shots after making only two of his first seven.
“The victory feels great,” Wilder said after the game. “Every year it’s a battle between us.”
His coach, Matt Michelson, was pleased with the way Wilder performed late. “He had better shot selection tonight,” he said. “And in the fourth quarter, he took charge, but he did it within our team concept, which is a tough balance.” Asked about getting his first win as coach against his team’s biggest rival, in front of the season’s loudest crowd, Michelson smiled and shook his head. “I love high school basketball.”