Sports - December 2003

Wolves in the zone vs. Mustangs

By JOHN MARK BROOKS, Staff Writer

————————————

When a player is in the zone and getting his shots through the team structure, it’s hard to overcome.

The East Lincoln Mustangs ran into that challenge as Eric Wilson scored 30 points for the Lincolnton Wolves in a 61-54 victory Friday night.

The Mustangs jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. An Eric Wilson three-pointer finally put Lincolnton on the board three minutes into the game.

The perimeter shot gave Lincolnton momentum with the Wolves reeling off eight unanswered points to make the score 16-9 at the end of the first quarter. Wilson finished with nine points in the quarter.

In the second quarter the Wolves switched to a zone defense, which riddled the Mustangs. This time the tables were turned. The Mustangs didn’t score a point for three minutes. Acting head coach Chip Ashley believed it was more about what his team did than anything Lincolnton did.

“When they switched to the zone we took several quick shots. It was one or two passes, then a shot and that’s not the way we need to play,” he said.

The coach believes the Mustangs’ shots need to come in the flow of the offense.

“We need to make five, six or seven passes around and work it inside and outside. If our quick shots were fallen that’s fine, but they weren’t,” Ashley said.

The Mustangs, once they figured out the zone, looked good outscoring the Wolves 16-11 in the second quarter putting them down one point at halftime 27-26. Carlos Marquez was a post-presence for East Lincoln, scoring five in the quarter.

The third quarter was more Wilson. The 6’1” senior poured in 13 points in the third period alone. Jordy Jefferies wouldn’t be denied his shine, scoring seven points in the quarter. Jefferies had a highlight block, one of his two, leaping high to throw a Mustang lay-up off the backboard to deny any points.

“I wasn’t doing so hot last night so I told myself tonight I had to do some better things. I came out strong, tried to rebound and do the little things better tonight,” Jefferies said.

The score was 44-35 through three quarters of  play. The Mustangs, led by Darin Dellinger, refused to quit.

A three pointer by Dellinger, who scored eight points in the period, put East Lincoln down 50-46 with under five minutes of play. Darren Wilson, who clearly wasn’t 100 percent physically, answered with a three-point play of his own to extend the lead 53-46.

After the free throw by Darren Wilson, T.J. drove into the lane drew two defenders and made a no-look pass to Marquez for a lay-up. The closest the resilient Mustangs would get would be three after a long-range shot by Dellinger to make the score 55-52.

Ashley was pleased with his point guard’s performance. “In the second half he did a good job running the point, spreading the ball around and making good passes. He made some good assists and hit some shots down the stretch to keep us close,” he said.

However, two Jefferies’ free throws sealed the deal for the Wolves putting them ahead 57-52.

The Wolves’ effort was bolstered by four three-point plays in the final quarter. Ashley believed a big reason for the loss was the Wolves hustle.

“In the fourth quarter, I think they outhustled us. They had a couple of loose balls and they made the plays,” he said.

When asked if this was one of the best games of his career, Eric Wilson took his success in stride.

“I would rank it pretty high, but I expect to play like this every night. It’s isn’t anything big,” he said.

It was a scenario where Wilson bit the hand that helped feed his basketball career as Ashley and other coaches have helped him improve over the years.

Nevertheless, Ashley was like a proud father talking about Wilson.

“Oh Eric, I feel great for Eric he’s a wonderful kid. We’ve worked with him some over the years. He’s helped us out with our Mustang Basketball Camps and I’m happy for him,” he said.

Jefferies was happy with the way he and his teammates played.

“This was a pretty good win for us coming off a loss last night. We played as a team, shot well and rebounded well,” he said.

The win raises Lincolnton’s record to 2-1. The Mustangs’ record falls to 2-3.

© 2001 Lincoln Times-News  

Terms and Conditions