Mustangs battle to win over Vikings
MOUNT PLEASANT -Laurel Highlands found itself in a tough Section 3-AAA battle against Mount Pleasant Friday night before the Mustangs were able to pick up their defense in the second half and scrap their way to a 47-40 road win. The Vikings controlled the tempo for much of the ball game and managed to hold Mustangs center Kaleb Ramsey scoreless in the first half. Ramsey came to life in the second half to finish with 10 points on the night. He was tied for team scoring honors with Ethan Mildren.
A pair of sophomores led the Vikings with Brad Fullman hitting three three-pointers to finish with a game-high 13 points, all coming in the second half. Luke D’Amico added 10.
“I thought the kids executed really well down to crunch time,” Mustangs coach Rick Hauger said. “When the game was on the line the kids made a lot of good decisions, got some key steals and came up with some easy baskets that we had to work hard for in the first half.”
Mount Pleasant (0-3, 4-9) took control of the game in the first quarter. After the Mustangs scored the opening basket the Vikings reeled off eight straight points and controlled the tempo with a deliberate offense that allowed them to hold a 12-9 lead going into the second period.
The Mustangs (2-1, 7-5) got a trey from Mason Tupta at the start of the second period to tie the game. The Vikings responded with an 8-0 run to take a 20-12 lead. John Shull hit two free throws for the Mustangs and Alan Wadsworth countered for the Vikings with two free throws leaving the score at 22-14. Ron Fudala hit a three just before the half to bring the Mustangs back to within five with Mount Pleasant holding a 22-17 halftime lead.
“This is as probably as well as we’ve played this year. We’re young and we’re battling some injuries because our second leading scorer was unable to play tonight,” Vikings coach Tom Traynor said. “I felt we handled the ball well most of the night against their defense. They got away from our press a couple of times for some easy baskets but I’m pleased with our effort. This is a journey; we have a lot of section games left. We’re hoping to work our way back and make some things happen.”
In the third period, Ramsey started to find his way to the hoop scoring the first of the eight points in the period to make the score 22-19. Brandon Bunting scored for the Vikings. Ramsey and Fullman exchanged buckets to make the score 26-21. The Mustangs went on a quick 6-0 burst on two free throws from Ramsey and consecutive baskets by Fudala and Mildren to take a 27-26 lead.
Mount Pleasant regained the lead on a three-pointer from Fullman. Isaiah Dawson scored for the Mustangs to tie the score at 29. Fullman hit another three to give the Vikings the lead once again as they took a 32-31 lead into the fourth period.
Fullman hit another trey to open the fourth, giving the Vikings a 35-31 lead. Mildren and Ramsey scored for the Mustangs to tie the score. Mike Iannamorelli came off the bench and hit two free throws, giving the Mustangs a 37-35 lead. D’Amico’s three gave the Vikings their final lead of the night, 38-37.
The Mustangs scored eight straight on baskets by Iannamorelli, Nick Erminio and Mildren plus two free throws from Fudala. After a basket by Fullman, Iannamorelli scored the final points on the night as the Mustangs went home with the win.
“We made some adjustments and I think the kids played good defense in the second half,” Hauger said. “This was not one of our better offensive nights, but you have to give Mount Pleasant some credit for that also.”