Boys Hoops: Mitchell hands Wesley Chapel first loss

Posted Dec 8, 2009 by Bart O'Connell

Updated Dec 8, 2009 at 11:49 PM

TRINITY – The sound of the clipboard being spiked to the floor by Wesley Chapel coach Doug Greseth just a few minutes into Tuesday’s game against Mitchell was a sure sign that his Wildcats were in for a long night.

Mitchell (3-3, 2-1 Class 4A-District 7) scored 22 points in the first quarter, an offensive barrage that prompted Greseth’s reaction during a timeout. Though the Wildcats actually outscored the Mustangs after that period, Mitchell got enough easy lay-ups throughout the game to never give up their early lead, and won 74-67 to deal the Wildcats (2-1, 1-1) their first loss of the season.

The defensive struggles that plagued the Mustangs in their losses, most recently last Friday to Ridgewood, haven’t exactly gone away. But this time the offense did more than enough, with four players in double figures led by Chad Jeckel (19 points). Robert Carrero, Jake Driscoll and Tony Makdessi each had 10 points.

“We have gifted players offensively,” said Mustangs first-year coach Jared St. Charles. “We try to run a structured offense but it doesn’t always work out that way.”

It worked out well Tuesday, with Mitchell putting together separate scoring runs of 9-0 (first quarter) and 10-0 (third quarter) to lead by as many as 17.

The Wildcats clawed back by turning up the pressure on defense and finally establishing an inside game with starter Daniel Rivera (18 points) and reserve Erik Thomas (17 points). But their lack of size hurt their rebounding in key situations down the stretch. They pulled to within 6 on a couple occasions, but never got closer.

Wesley Chapel’s leading scorer, Tommy Roldan, had 13 points. Mitchell’s Dustin Hannel, a long-range shooter who had 26 points (seven 3-pointers) against the Rams, played sparingly in the first half and scored 9 points, all after halftime.

MITCHELL 74, WESLEY CHAPEL 67

Wesley Chapel (67): Rivera 7 4-4 18; Bayne 1 3-3 5; Parra 4 1-2 9; Roldan 4 4-5 13; Thomas 7 2-3 17; Reddic 1 0-0 2; Piper 0 1-2 1; Sandifer 1 0-1 2. Totals – 25 15-20 67.

Mitchell (74): Carrero 3 4-6 10; Driscoll 3 2-3 10; Makdessi 5 0-0 10; Francis 3 2-5 9; Jeckel 8 2-4 19; Hannel 3 2-2 9; Stavish 1 0-0 3; Knudsen 2 0-0 4. Totals – 29 12-20 74.

W. Chapel 13 15 17 22 = 67
Mitchell 22 17 16 19 = 74

Total Fouls – WC 17, M 16. Fouled Out – None. Technicals – Team (M). 3-point goals – Parra, Roldan (WC); Francis, Jeckel, Hannel (M). Records – WC 2-0, 1-1; M 3-3, 2-1.