With both the Bruins and the Tarbabes desperately in need of a win, Wilson built a twelve-point lead in the second quarter and withstood a furious Compton rally to capture a win on the road, 71-64. The win keeps Wilson in the Moore League running with a 4-2 record as Compton falls to 2-4.
Using a full-court press in the fourth quarter, Compton went on a 9-0 run and whittled the Wilson lead all the way down to three with under two minutes to go. But Bruin junior guard Josh Bell sank two free throws, then stole Compton’s inbound pass and dished to Jared Grimes for the layup and the foul. Grimes hit the free-throw and Wilson held on for the win.
In the end, Wilson was just a little more experienced, shot the ball a little better, and turned the ball over a little bit less.
“We knew we needed to prove we could win on the road,” said Wilson head coach Matt Michelson. “This is a tough environment and we got a great win.”
Mike Wilder led the Bruins with 21 points on 7-14 shooting from the field despite constant pressure from the Compton defense – Wilder is the best in the city at getting his shot off quickly. The Tarbabes effectively edged out on screens to pressure Wilder, but he kept finding ways to pull the trigger and hit five of eight threes on the night – jerking his head back mid-stroke to avoid brushing the ball against his afro, Wilder’s odd over-the-head jumper continues to impress.
Keep an eye out for Compton, though – their 2-4 league record can be deceiving. The Tarbabes field only two seniors on their ten-man roster, and junior Cliff Sims may be the Moore League’s second best shooting guard. He’s without a doubt the most athletic, throwing down back-to-back jams in the second quarter. A physical defender, he and Wilder directly matched up against each other late in the game to give those in attendance a front-row seat to their own personal duel.
Wilder and his Bruins prevailed thanks to Compton’s twelve first half turnovers that allowed Wilson to build a double-digit lead. Andre Crenshaw Jr. added 14 while Bell scored 11, and Joel Bitonio recorded ten points and eight rebounds. Compton’s Allan Guei scored 15 while freshman Anthony January – one of the Moore League’s future stars as his game develops – added nine points and seven boards.
Both teams hit their shots with impressive frequency, as Wilson shot 22-39 from the field and Compton hit 23-41. The difference came in Compton’s fourteen turnovers. Although they committed only two in the entire second half, Wilson took advantage of their twelve first half mistakes. Like Wilson, Compton doesn’t have a true point guard to take care of ball-handling duties, and must use a combination of off-guards to control the offense. There was no calming point influence when things got out of hand in the first half and it hurt the Tarbabes.
Wilson also got to the charity stripe much more often than Compton did. Although they didn’t convert those opportunities like they could have (11-19 FT), those shots made the difference in the game. Compton got to the line just eight times and made only four of those. The seven extra points that Wilson gained at the line ended up giving the Bruins the cushion they needed.
With turnovers and free-throw troubles likely doing in the Tarbabes, you have to consider their youth. There are only two seniors and four juniors on the team, so mistakes are understandable. Compton is plenty capable of finishing the season strong but has an even brighter future as their roster gains experience.
The Bruins’ Wilder, a strong candidate for Moore League POY regardless of their record, keeps proving that he can find ways to score on even the roughest of nights. Though he shot 7-14 on the night, Wilder made just two of six attempts at two-point range and two of seven from the free-throw line. Compton played Wilder very well when he ventured inside the three-point line, where he wasn’t able to set up for open shots. From the outside, however, the Bruins used screens and quick swing passes to find space for Wilder’s jumper (he hit an impressive 5-8 from three).
Wilson puts themselves in prime position to make a run at the Moore League title as we enter the second half of the schedule, but don’t be surprised to see Compton climb the ranking as well.