Mustangs Tied for Second in KLAA Central with Win Over South Lyon East

- Submitted by S. Patrone

The boys varsity basketball team moved into a second place tie in the KLAA Central Division with a convincing win over the South Lyon Cougars Friday night, with a final score of 57-28.

Northville (4-5, 2-2 KLAA Central) started the game with some great execution.
However, the Mustang’s season outside shooting was still looking for momentum. South Lyon East (1-7, 0-4 KLAA Central) has struggled to compete but records don’t tell the whole story. Both teams played aggressive on defense with the ref’s whistles trying to keep up with the tempo. The ‘Stangs outside shooting has been lacking the last few games. This game seemed no different. Northville pounded the offensive boards for putback baskets from seniors Brett MacDonald and Mitch Alameddine. With 25 seconds left, Mitch Alameddine nailed a fifteen foot jump shot for the Mustangs first point outside the paint and a 14-3 quarter lead.

The Cougars came out in the second quarter with a renewed purpose and dropped in a pair of 3-pointers from the arc. The Mustangs would hold on to outscore the Cougars 14-11 and take a halftime double-digit lead of 28-14. Brett MacDonald hit Northville’s first points from beyond the arc, while senior guard Jeff Hewlett added 4 points, took a defensive charge, and was 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Sophmore forward Andrew Meacham continued his unstoppable post play with 8 points and converted on an And1 play with forty seconds left in the quarter.

The Mustangs started the second half with a full court press which resulted in a quick ten point swing off of Cougar turnovers. The Mustangs outscored the Cougars 17-4 in the third quarter and 12-10 in the fourth quarter to seal the win 57-28.

The Mustangs’ saw deep contribution from their bench as Alameddine, O’Callaghan, Wright and Lasley pulled down eight rebounds. Alameddine contributed 6 points, Jake Hansen 3 points and Andrew Wright/Alec Lasley had 1 point. The Mustangs had ten players scoring in the game led by Meacham 12 points, Poterala 9 points, Hewlett 8 points, MacDonald 7 points and Gertley 6 points. Hewlett led the team with five steals, followed by Poterala and Meacham with three steals apiece.

The Mustangs (3-2, 5-5 overall) look to improve their outside shooting next week as they travel to the KLAA Central Division leader Salem Rocks (4-1, 10-1 overall). GO MUSTANGS!