If you want respect, this is how you get it. The Mallard Creek Mavericks took down Charlotte Observer’s #2 ranked North Meck Vikings in front of a nice crowd over in North Charlotte. Handing North Meck just their 4th lost of the season. With two big losses to West Charlotte and Mallard Creek, the Vikings are going to have to pull it together if they want to continue to stay in the race for the conference title.
Most of the game went back and forth with both teams playing very good defense. Niether was able to get easy baskets and by halftime it became clear that this game was going to come down to who would make plays at the end of the game. The Mavericks harassed Wiggins all night long, making him earn every bit of his game high 23 points. In the end, it was Mallard Creek and Senior Bradley Robinson (21 points) who made the key plays to lead them to victory.
Mallard Creek – I’ve said all along that this team is one of the most well-conditioned teams I’ve seen. This is how they win ball games. They play at a frantic up-tempo pace and force their opponents to do the same. It’s not often that you see positions 1-5 all have the ability to run the floor AND go after rebounds every play of every quarter. Once they get the ball up the court, they don’t miss anything within three to four feet of the basket. The Mavericks are not a great shooting team. They can’t consistently knock down perimeter jumpers, but they don’t have to. They will just out-run you and out-hustle you. And that’s where they were able to hurt North Meck. The Vikings, who played without Center Josh Stepoli, were simply out of gas by the 4th quarter. This fatigue showed as Wiggins and several other Viking players missed several free throws down the stretch.
The Mavericks threw about 3 different defenders at Wiggins throughout the game. They all did an excellent job. There really is no way to completely stop Wiggins, but you can make him uncomfortable. They made him earn every point he made; playing excellent defense without fouling and sending him to the free throw line.
North Meck – I talked to two Viking fans who were very upset about the game. One fan stated that he felt like the team was turning into a “one-man show”. The other stated that the bench players didn’t step up like they needed to. Not having Stepoli coming off the bench was huge. Viking Center Tajai Watt was the only player for North Meck getting on the glass.
Here’s my opinion: The deeper they get into the season, the Vikings are starting to rely more heavily on Wiggins. It seemed like every time a player got his hands on the ball, his head was on a swivel, looking to see where the speedy guard was. Wiggins missed a lot of baskets he would normally make. And that is mainly in part to the Mavericks making him so uncomfortable. I do believe the Vikings have the personnel to play with the best of them, but they are trying too hard to get the ball in Wiggins’ hands. They had several turnovers just trying to pass the ball Wiggins.
When you have a star on your team, you have the tendency to defer and just let your star go to work. When you do this, you take yourself out of the rhythm of the game. So now when your team desperately needs you, you don’t have the ability to hit the big time shot. This is what makes Olympic so dangerous. Despite having a star like Freeman, the entire team gets involved in the offense and they never get taken out of the rhythm of the game. The North Meck supporting cast are going to have to trust their abilities. Not only that, but they are going to have to get more shot attempts up and be more involved in the offense. Once they do this, they can get back on track.
North Meck Center Tajai Watt – The more I see this kid, the more impressed I become. He is without a doubt one of the most underrated players in this area. At 6’5, he’s built well, has a strong pair of hands and can finish strong inside. He has the capability to play heavy minutes and rebounds the ball very well. He reminds me a lot of a young Theo Ratliff (a former Charlotte Bobcat). North Meck would not be as good as they are without him. He is their lone workhorse.
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