Elijah Wells
Contributing Writer
The Warriors defeated the Mansfield Mounties to advance to the PSAC Quarterfinals.
The ESU Warriors defeated the Mansfield Mounties 114-72 last Monday, eliminating them from the PSAC Tournament. With this win, the Warriors advanced to the quarterfinals to match up against the two-seed Millersville Marauders.
The Mansfield Mounties managed to gather momentum very early in the first period, going toe to toe with the ESU Warriors. It was only until the 10-minute mark of the first period that the ESU Warriors started clicking on all cylinders, and the Mounties had no response. The Warriors ended the first period with a 37-12 run, with all momentum shifting to their favor.
Jeff Wilson, ESU Warriors’ head coach, shared his thoughts related to this situation. “We didn’t change anything we normally do. I just think we have more depth. When they started going to their bench, and with us being able to rotate between our players, keeping our guys fresh, I think that was the biggest difference,” says Wilson.
The Warriors shot very efficiently from the field, as they shot 63.1% from the field and 50% from the three-point line. The bench scoring remained a key factor throughout the game, as they were able to score 43 of their 114 points, providing the Warriors with tons of depth. They were able to consistently generate great-quality shots throughout the game to take advantage of opportunities presented to them.
Jaelen McGlone put up a stellar performance in the Warriors’ first game of the PSAC Tournament, ending this game with a team-high 18 points while shooting very efficiently from the field. McGlone shot 85% from the field while knocking down 100% of his three-point attempts. McGlone was able to find his rhythm early in this game as he knocked down three of his four three-point shots in the first period alone.
“I knew it was just time to pick it up since this was our first playoff game, and every game counts from here on out. I just knew it was time to play,” said McGlone. He was also able to contribute to other areas of the game, converting 4 assists and 2 steals.
Alongside McGlone, heroic performances from both Lakeem McAliley and Nasir Griffin were able to lead the Warriors to a dominant win over the Mounties. McAliley scored 17 points while shooting 66% from the field and 75% from the three-point line while recording 2 assists, 3 rebounds, and a block.
Griffin scored 16 points, shooting 100% from the field altogether. He managed to record three rebounds and a steal while producing his stellar offensive output.
The performance of the Warriors in this game mirrored the events that occurred in the last matchup between the Mounties. They were able to constantly apply pressure on the opposing defense with their exhilarating offensive output, and their defensive intensity was able to constantly disrupt the opposing offense. Their defensive game plan involved full-court pressing the opposing offense while trapping the primary ball handlers.
“We knew if we played harder than them, they would lay down eventually. We play relentlessly, and we knew if we kept playing like this, everything would work out for us,” says McGlone.
The Warriors’ defense held the Mansfield Mounties to 36.4% shooting from the field and 22.7% shooting from the three-point line. They were able to force 17 turnovers, leading to easy transition opportunities on the other end, in which they scored 27 of their points off turnovers. The defense was guarding the perimeter at a very high level, preventing shooters from getting into a rhythm, while effectively playing help defense and hustling.
