Understandably, Wilson head coach Matt Michelson didn’t want to say that he felt like his team’s season was on the line—but maybe it was.  In last night’s crucial game against the Jordan Panthers, the Bruins started out hot—Jordan turnovers, and a widespread inability among the Panthers to finish near the basket, opened the door for the Bruins to take command of the game.  Every time it looked like Jordan had something going for them, it fell apart—senior Stephan Heard had some success guarding Mike Wilder, but was sent to the bench in the second quarter with three fouls; Jordan’s defensive intensity was effective at disrupting Wilson’s ball movement, but they pressed too hard and were whistled for nine team fouls in the first quarter, and another five in the second.  At halftime, Wilson was up 39-30.

Then Jordan sensed an opportunity—one they’d missed in their loss to Poly two days prior.  The Jackrabbits had been turnover-happy in the middle of the third quarter, and the Panthers had some success with the press: but they went away from it.  For almost the full eight minutes of the third against Wilson, they stayed on them.  The full-court press was incredibly effective, creating turnover after turnover, but more surprising was the smothering effect of the high trap the Panthers ran on Mike Wilder.  Unable to find teammates to dish to, the league’s leading scorer was held to a grand total of zero shot attempts in the third, and the Bruins only mustered six as a team—they scored a total of five points in the third, to Jordan’s 20. 

So, though the game had seemed in hand, there were now eight minutes left in the game.  The Bruins were down 50-44.  If they lost, their record would fall to 1-3, putting them in sixth place.  The season was, basically, on the line.  And the Bruins played with an urgency they’ve been looking for all season, breaking the press easily on the scant plays Jordan utilized it (Panther coach Ron Massey admitted after the game to not knowing why he’d gone away from the hell-raising defense that had shut the Bruins down in the third).  The Bruins exploded for 26 points in the fourth quarter, sparked by Wilder’s shooting as well as his passing (six assists on the night), as well as Josh Bell, the team’s x-factor, who put in ten points in the fourth.  When the final horn sounded, Wilson had come away with an improbable 70-62 win, being outscored 20-5 in the third but winning the fourth quarter 26-12.

“It’s a big win for us,” said Wilder after the game—he poured in 24 points to lead all scorers.  “We executed a game plan, and we stayed calm, didn’t panic when they got ahead.”

“From the stands it may have felt like the season was on the line,” said coach Michelson.  “But we were just trying to take care of the ball on the next possession.  We have a few returning lettermen, but the rest of us are new to this type of environment.”  Now that they’re 2-2 and right in the hunt (check out our league standings tomorrow to see where the Bruins and Panthers sit), Michelson will try and keep his team focused on putting one foot in front of the other.  “As we’ve figured out, any team can beat anybody.”

Massey echoed his sentiment.  “This is typical Moore League,” he said.  “One week you’re up, the next you’re down.”

Other leaders for the Bruins were Joel Bitonio, who scored 17 and pulled down 14 rebounds, six of them on offense.  He also had seven blocks, which helped keep Jordan fidgety under the hoop.  That’s a large part of why the Panthers shot 18/51 (35%) from inside the arc, despite getting good penetration on a number of plays.  Leaders for the Panthers were Darius Williams, who had ten points and seven rebounds, and Will Ervin, who had 12 (including the three pointer that tied the game in the third, before the Panthers took over for the rest of the quarter).

The Bruins outrebounded the Panthers 27-21, and were 21/37 from inside the arc, just 3/14 from beyond.