Mustangs stay steady in chiseling away Hornets’ lead, taking control in second half

QUINCY — A few months down the road, the Mendon Unity boys basketball team might look back at Tuesday night’s victory as a defining moment in its quest for the school’s first winning record since the 2016-17 season.

The Mustangs, on the verge of being blown right off of Mountain Dew Court on the campus of John Wood Community College, rallied for a 62-54 victory over Atlanta, which entered the game as the No. 9-ranked Class 1 school in Missouri.

Unity’s victory came during the second night of competition in the week-long 17th edition of the Rumble on the River at JWCC’s Student Activity Center.

“I think we’re playing with a whole lot of confidence right now,” said 6-foot-1 freshman forward Adler Gray, whose 11-point, 12-rebound performance helped the Mustangs improve to 8-2 in front of a crowd of about 225.

There would be no debating Gray’s assessment.

Atlanta (6-2) broke to a 19-7 lead at the outset, but Unity never appeared to be rattled and whittled the gap to 28-23 by halftime. The Mustangs eventually took control of the game by late in the third quarter and outscored Atlanta 17-8 over the final seven minutes of the fourth period.

In fairness to Atlanta, the Hornets lost their leading scorer, senior Mason Reed and his 17-point average, to a knee injury in the third quarter. But in fairness to Unity, the Mustangs were already on the verge of securing control at the time of Reed’s sidelining.

Unity had withstood an early barrage of 3-pointers from an Atlanta team that entered the night averaging 80.2 points per game and had beaten an earlier opponent, Bucklin-Macon County (Mo.), by 60 points.

“We were expecting (Atlanta) to shoot from all over the place,” said Unity swingman Sawyer Allen, who scored 18 of his 23 points in the second half.

And that’s exactly what the Hornets did, until Unity was able to gain control of the tempo with a more structured approach to its own offense and a stronger effort at the defensive end of the floor.

Unity coach Keith Carothers not only appreciated his club’s calmness under the early fire, but the opportunity to play an opponent with a different approach like Atlanta’s. He said that’s one of the appeals of getting to participate in an event like Rumble on the River.

“It’s great to have the chance to see teams we don’t play all the time and have to adjust to the different styles of play,” Carothers said.

What is also great, according to Carothers, is Unity’s bid for a winning season after a number of struggles in recent years.

“That’s small-school basketball,” said Carothers, who has 222 victories in his18-plus years at Unity. “It’s a rollercoaster. That’s how it goes. Right now, we have a really good mix of players.”

It’s a good mix that will be around for a while, too. There are only two varsity players who are seniors, and just one, 6-foot-2 Skylor Goudschaal, who starts. The team should be further strengthened next season with the return of 6-foot-4 sophomore Michael McMillen, who will likely have to miss the rest of the season due to injury problems.

Helping offset McMillen’s absence while complimenting others has been Gray, who admits he becomes more confident with each passing game.

“Most of the time now, I feel relaxed and comfortable out there,” he said. “I feel like I’m now playing inside with more confidence and am able to face the basket more than I did earlier in the season.”

How important has Gray’s development been? Just ask Allen, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player and is averaging a little less than 20 points per game.

“Adler is the one who deserved that Most Outstanding Player trophy,” said Allen, who seconded Gray with eight rebounds.

J.J. White (15), Grady Hruska (13) and Reed (12) led Atlanta in scoring. White added nine rebounds.

Atlanta coach Jason White, who also coaches the Hornets’ girls team, took the loss in stride.

“Losing our top scorer obviously hurt,” he said. “We also lost a 6-6 kid with a broken leg before the season even started.”

White had nothing but praise for the Rumble on the River format and after the game accepted an invitation from JWCC officials to return next season.

“Playing in this was a great experience,” he said. “Playing in games like this will help us be tougher. We’ll be back next year.”