Tenacious defense leads MAC Cardinals to season-opening win

By MATT KING/Daily Journal Sports Writer

POPLAR BLUFF - There were no first game jitters for the Mineral Area College men's basketball team on Friday night.

The Cardinals played a nearly flawless first half on the strength of a ferocious defensive effort to build a huge lead, then coasted down the stretch to an 87-74 win over Kaskaskia at the Black River Coliseum in Poplar Bluff.

Mineral Area (1-0), which is ranked 19th nationally in the pre-season NJCAA poll, forced 28 turnovers in the contest, and converted nearly all of its early transition opportunities into points while holding the Blue Devils without a field goal in the opening 6:15 of action.

A three-point jumper by Ralph Mata opened the scoring and began a 20-1 run by the Cardinals to begin the game. T.J. Britton scored on a quick post move and Mata slashed to the hole for another basket before Tony Webb buried a triple from the right wing in the span of one minute during the run.

The torrid pace continued to pay dividends for MAC. Tremaine Wilkerson crashed the boards for an offensive putback, and another steal led to a three from Willie Hassell.

Kaskaskia (0-2) broke double-digits on a three-pointer by Richard Williams mid-way through the first half, but Dontavis Jones and Britton promptly countered with back-to-back triples at the other end for a 34-14 Mineral Area advantage.

Williams, who led all players with 20 points, knocked down two more shots from behind the arc to bring the Blue Devils closer, but MAC surged again with an energetic 12-0 run, sparked by inside baskets from DeAlan Hicks and Curtis Muse, and a series of steals.

A pull-up jumper by Hassell increased the spread to 25 points, and the Cardinals carried a 50-26 lead into halftime. MAC finished with 10 three-pointers in the game, including seven in the opening period.

The Cardinals built their largest lead early in the second half when a strong three-point play by Wilkerson made it 58-27, and would maintain the vast separation for the ensuing minutes.

Hassell converted a tough, hanging jumper into a three-point play for a 73-44 cushion with 11:00 left, but the Blue Devils mounted a nice comeback to make the score more respectable, as the Cardinals failed to take care of the basketball at times.

Kevin Willis connected on a baseline leaner while falling out of bounds, and Andre Aaron muscled his way to the basket to trim the Kaskaskia deficit to 78-63 with 5:12 remaining, but Webb answered with a needed triple to ensure the victory for MAC.

The Cardinals committed 20 turnovers of their own and struggled at the free-throw line, converting just 17-29 attempts.

Hassell led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points. Britton and Webb each netted 12 points, while Mata and Wilkerson chipped in 10 apiece, giving Mineral Area five players in double figures. Mata and Webb each connected three times from behind the arc.

Willis contributed 17 points for Kaskaskia, and Aaron added 13. Ahmad Wright provided the individual highlight of the night when he reached back to make a one-handed catch above the rim, and finished the play with a dunk early in the second half.

MAC will face Forest Park tonight at 5 p.m. during the first of two games at the Three Rivers Tip-off Classic.

Mineral Area 50 37 - 87

Kaskaskia 26 48 - 74

Scoring:

Mineral Area - Hassell 15, Britton 12, Webb 12, Mata 10, Wilkerson 10, Muse 9, Hicks 8, Butterfield 6, Jones 3, Claitt 1.

3-pointers - Mata 3, Hassell 2, Webb 3, Britton, Jones.

Kaskaskia - Williams 20, Willis 17, Aaron 13, Norman 8, Wright 7, Guinyard 5, Varel 4.

3-pointers - Williams 5.