Gallery by Ashley Honaker
Lindside – Wyoming East head coach Kent McBride tailored a game plan around stopping James Monroe standouts Ryan Mann and Kadyn Hines.
It worked, but at the expense of allowing key role players to carry the load.
The Mavericks received 32 points from their bench with three different players scoring in double figures in a 55-49 victory over the Class AA No. 2-ranked Warriors in Lindside Friday.
The win keeps No. 8 James Monroe in contention for the top overall seed in the region heading into the final month of the regular season and hands the Warriors their first loss since McBride took over on Jan. 3.
Much of the outcome was unlikely for the host Mavericks. They didn’t score until six minutes into the game and needed to rely on players that played sparingly but all aligned perfectly.
Jayden Miller, Bryce Gardinier and Lane Taylor were the three hot hands head coach Kelly Mann rode to victory.
“I have a ton of confidence in them, really,” Mann said. “They’re three kids that can do what they did tonight. They really are good shooters and the other parts of the game have been keeping them off the floor because some of them are young and I have all confidence in the world in them knocking down shots, and that’s what they can bring to us that’s different. It wasn’t shocking, it was really good to see.
“Gardinier, he grew up just a little bit right there. And they did enough on the defensive end to keep themselves on the floor, so, really nice to see. That’s what I told the guys – we’re nine deep, and different people are gonna have to step up on different nights based on what we’re seeing, and the guys that had played bunch had great life on the bench. Those are the kind of things you’re looking for.”
The ability of the bench trio to knock down shots proved pivotal. The Mavericks shot 9 of 18 from beyond the arc with Miller, Gardiner and Taylor connecting on seven of those attempts.
“What we wanted to do going into the game, our kids did,” McBride said. “And when I look at it the scouting report and the game plan that we put together might not have been the right one. What we worked on in practice, the kids did, but I thought James Monroe did a great job countering that and creating open looks for the other guys. You look, it wasn’t Mann and it wasn’t Hines.
“Those are their two guys, it wasn’t those guys, it was the role players. And we have talked to our team and they’re going to learn through today that typically, and I hate to call them – they’re good players, but Hines and Mann are their guys. When you go into a home court typically the guys around the top players play better, and those guys played really good today. Nine of 18, and it wasn’t their two leading scores. Sometimes you just tip your cap.”
The sparks provided jumped an offense that had little life. The Mavericks missed their first six shots across the first six minutes, finally breaking the ice when Ryan Mann hit a driving floater but the slow start never proved detrimental as East struggled on offense, only scoring six points during that opening stretch.
Miller was the first to provide a spark for the Mavericks, hitting a jumper and a 3 to make it a 10-8 game in favor of East after a quarter.
Taylor took the baton to open the second, nailing back-to-back 3s that gave the hosts their first lead of the night at 14-10.
East center Konnor Fox made his presence known with a layup and a pair of free throws to tie the game but another 3 from Miller put the Mavs on top. Miller’s trey was the first of three consecutive with East guard Talan Muscari nailing one followed by another from Layton Dowdy.
The string slowed down afterwards with the teams heading into the intermission tied at 22.
East opened the second half with a 5-0 run, threatening to build a cushion but a layup and 3, both from Taylor, knotted the game once more with Gardinier taking the baton.
A 3 from Braxton Morgan broke another tie in favor of East but Gardinier answered with five straight for the hosts. His short jumper in the final minute of the frame gave the Mavericks a 38-37 lead heading into the final quarter.
East managed its final lead of the game early in the frame on a Broc Johnson jumper but Miller again answered from downtown.
East’s best shot at tying the game once more came with 3:05 to play when Talan Muscari split a pair of free throws and Fox hauled in the offensive rebound but the possession came up empty.
Faced with a similar situation, James Monroe capitalized. Mann was fouled and sent to the line with just over a minute to play and his team up 50-49. The first free throw was on the mark but he grabbed the offensive rebound on his own miss on the second, drawing another foul. The next two attempts from the charity stripe were true, extending the lead to two possessions where it remained for the final minute of the contest.
The Warriors won the overall rebounding battle 31-24, but the teams tied with 14 each in the second half. None proved more pivotal than the one Mann grabbed off his own miss.
“A little more comfortable there,” Coach Mann laughed. “Really, two or three possessions before, they missed a free throw and they got the rebound and the kid that didn’t get it, I kind of lit him up a little bit and let him know it was one of the few effort plays and we talked about it, it was one of the few effort plays that my eyes picked up and said that was not an effort play and we needed to make (it). And I think on that one, it’s kind of the reverse. We gave it a big effort. We’re not taking a free throw off. I tell them, I’m like, ‘That can win ball games, just get a tip, get us something, work.’ “It’s nice because normally I’m gonna have to tell them to go get a tip, you could see them talking to each other, ‘Be ready. I’m gonna tip, I’m coming, I’m working,’ and then it paid it off. Little things like that win ball games.”
Fox led all players with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Miller and Taylor scored 11 each for James Monroe in the win.
WE: 11 11 15 12 – 49
JM: 8 14 16 17 – 55
Wyoming East
Talan Muscari 11, Broc Johnson 6, Zach Hunt 8, Braxton Morgan 5, Konnor Fox 15, Brayden Hoosier 2, Landen Hodges 2
James Monore
Wil Boggess 2, Layton Dowdy 8, Kadyn Hines 7, Ryan Mann 6, Jayden Miller 11, Bryce Gardinier 10, Lane Taylor 11