Grandview handles 'Stangs ... again
Nationally ranked Wolves win showdown rematch 63-47; shooting woes hinder Mullen and halts its 6-game winning streak.
It was another disappointing night going against Colorado’s elite, but head coach Frank Cawley hopes his team will focus on the bigger picture.
In a matchup of the top teams in the state’s upper classifications, visiting Grandview handled Mullen 63-47 in Centennial League play at Hutchison Fieldhouse. The Class 5A No. 1 Wolves, 8-0 overall and in league, generally controlled play against the 4A No. 1 Mustangs (6-2, 6-2), used their superior height to own the paint and displayed the traits that have them rated No 17 nationally by MaxPreps.
“They’re deep,” Cawley said of the Wolves. “They’re a good team and they did a good job, but I think this probably was one of the worst shooting performances we’ve had.”
The turning point came in the third quarter, when Mullen missed its first 10 shots and was outscored 16-2 over 8 minutes. The Mustangs had rallied to climb within 32-27 at halftime.
“If those shots fall like they normally do, it’s a different game,” Cawley said.
Unofficially, Mullen shot 17-of-56 (28 percent). Grandview defensive pressure as well as the inside play of junior Lauren Betts (6-foot-7 and a Stanford commit) and Addison O’Grady (6-5 and headed to Iowa) decided it. The two also combined for 38 points, 24 by Betts.
The Wolves won the earlier meeting, 68-53 on opening night.
“They’re smart and they run their stuff,” Cawley said.
For Mullen, point guard Megan Pohs was tops with 14 points. Junior Gracie Gallegois was next with eight, all in the first half. Defensively, junior Imani Perez battled inside, but Betts is a legitimate Prep All-American candidate and the Grandview ball movement prevented Mullen from attacking its guards.
Still, Cawley said, “I was impressed with us, we played hard and we got (the Wolves) to play to our tempo for a while.”
He added there’s no time for lamenting – Mullen will have three games in five days beginning Monday, the first of two such stretches in successive weeks as the new Season B will have a whirlwind finish to the regular season.
The Mustangs will be at Cherry Creek in Greenwood Village, tip-off at 7:15 p.m.
“We’ll show up and see what happens with Creek at (its) place,” Cawley said. “It’s always a tough place to play. We just need to get through (the regular season) without injury, without (COVID-19) and see what happens.”
GRANDVIEW 63, MULLEN 47
Grandview 18 14 16 15 – 63
Mullen 12 15 2 18 – 47
Grandview – Robinson 0 0-0- 0, Hudgins 4 3-4 12, Betts 11 2-3 24, O’Grady 7 0-0 14, Jones 2 6-6 10, Campbell 1 0-0 3, Charles 0 0-0 0, Weathersby 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 11-13 63.
Mullen – Pohs 5 3-5 14, Dominguez 2 0-0 4, Gallegos 2 4-4 8, Van Horn 2 0-0 5, Perez 2 1-2 5, Oates-Stamm 1 0-2 2, Martinez 2 0-0 5, Webster 1 1-2 4. Totals 17 9-14 47.
3-pt. goals – Campbell, Hudgins; Martinez, Pohs, Van Horn, Webster.
© 2020 Mullen High School. All Rights Reserved.