4A-7 MATCHUP
Maturing Leopards edge Fountain Lake
MALVERN — With five sophomores and just two seniors on the roster, Malvern continues to grow as a team in spite of its rookie mistakes along the way.
After racing to a 37-29 halftime lead, the Leopards withstood a late comeback bid by visiting Fountain Lake to win 57-52 Thursday night at the Leopard Center.
“We’re still figuring things out and learning on the run,” said Malvern, and former Fountain Lake, coach Chris Meseke. “We do a lot of really good things at times, but then we go through those spells where we just have so many mistakes in a row. That’s typical of a young team, but we were able to hold on, and that says a lot.”
After surrendering 17 points in the second quarter, the Cobras tightened their defense to make things interesting in the second half
Fountain Lake guards Jordan Mungle and Joe Murphy each connected on a 3-pointer as the Cobras outscored the Leopards 13-7 in the third quarter to pull within 44-42 entering the final frame.
“That’s one of the better games we’ve played in a while,” Fountain Lake coach Jake Dettmering said. “Credit to them; they shot lights out in the first half. They played with a lot of good energy, and I think our guys did the same. They just made a few more shots than us.”
With the Cobras threatening a comeback, Malvern pulled away with a blistering stretch to open the fourth quarter. The Leopards opened the final period on a 9-0 run, including a perfect five for five from the free throw line, to stretch their lead to 53-42.
Held without a point in the first four minutes of the quarter, Fountain Lake clawed back to trim the lead to four points with less than a minute to play, but the Cobras got no closer.
After a foul shot by Ahman Johnson pulled the Cobras within 56-52, Malvern’s Logan Schneider set the final margin with a free throw of his own as the Leopards later secured a defensive rebound to preserve the win.
“We just ran out of time in the end trying to cut into the lead,” said Dettmering. “We spotted them nine at the start of the quarter, but at the end of the day, we responded to that run, too. We just ran out of time.”
Malvern’s BJ Francis and Dakovon Blackmon combined for seven early points in the first quarter as the Leopards opened the game on a 9-0 run.
Fountain Lake responded with an 11-4 run of its own before Malvern settled with a 20-15 lead at the end of the period, Blackmon scoring the last seven points in the frame for the Leopards.
“I think every time they went on a run, we responded with a run,” Dettmering said. “We never got our heads down, and I’m proud of the way we played.”
After a 3-pointer by Mungle and a layup from Cade Dodge
pulled the Cobras within 22-20 early in the second quarter, Malvern started to pull away on the strength of its outside shooting.
Schneider, Aaron Jones and Darion Weaver each connected on a shot from behind the arc as the Leopards pushed their lead to
37-29 at the half.
“It’s always important for us to knock down shots, because we like to play fast-paced and we like to play a little more freely on offense,” said Meseke. “When the shots are falling for a young team, then their defensive intensity steps up a lot more, so that was big for us.”
The Cobras opened the third quarter on a 12-4 run to trim the gap to 41-39, setting the stage for a back and forth second half.
Murphy paced Fountain Lake with 17 points, while Parion Johnson finished with 11 points and Mungle scored 10 points. Blackmon led all scorers with 18 points for the Leopards.
The Cobras dropped to 8-4 overall and 2-2 in conference before competing in the Perry County Classic beginning Wednesday at Bigelow High School.
“If we play this hard every night, we’re going to have a chance to win about every game we play,” Dettmering said. “No matter the opponent, they’ve got to bring that kind of focus and effort. If we bring that kind of energy, we’ll be fine game in and game out.”
Improving to 7-2 overall and
6-0 in conference, Malvern hosts Bismarck in its first game after the holiday break on Jan. 4.