Senior residence
Five12th-graders highlight final, regular-season home game.
Thank you, seniors.
It was the message to five 12th-graders on a night in which Mullen drubbed also-ran Smoky Hill 61-40 in Centennial League play at Hutchison Fieldhouse, the final home game of the regular season.
“Congratulations to them,” Mustangs head coach Frank Cawley said. “It was Senior Night, all five played, all five scored. All contributed and all did their roles.”
So Colleen Hart, Demitra Loukopoulos, Jordyn Medina and Grace Oswald saw considerably more playing time off the bench than normal. Another senior, Iliana Perez, plays regularly, but took part in the starting lineup.
Overall, the Mustangs started slowly against the struggling Buffaloes, who are 2-20 overall and winless in league in 13 tries, but were never seriously challenged. Twelve Mustangs scored and didn’t have to worry about 5-of-17 free-throw shooting.
Ultimately, freshman Imani Perez topped Mullen with 12 points, but there were contributions from just about everyone else and, despite just one regular-season game to play, there could be a lot of basketball remaining.
“A big part of the reason we’ve been able to turn it around is the senior leadership,” Cawley said. “They’ve been troopers and phenomenal for this program, and the good thing about this Senior Night is we’re not done playing at home.”
Mullen will visit Overland in Aurora on Friday, 5:30 p.m., to wrap up its Centennial schedule and 23-game regular slate. The Mustangs are 14-8 overall, 9-4 in league. They have their most overall victories since winning 18 in 2015-16 and have tied their top league total since 2013-14. They can secure third place outright in the Centennial with another victory that would be their most since going 13-1 in 2009-10.
They also are projected to have a home playoff game next week. Despite competing in the Class 5A league, the Mustangs will be in the 4A playoffs. Their losses were to good programs. They dropped three in a tournament in Phoenix. And five others came against 5A heavyweights Cherry Creek (twiceZ), Grandview (twice) and Regis Jesuit.
MULLEN 61, SMOKY HILL 40
Smoky Hill 6 11 6 17 -- 40
Mullen 18 22 12 9 -- 61
Smoky Hill – Givens 6 2-3 14, Ekiko 1 1-2 3, Jay. Lindsey 3 5-6 11, Paige 1 0-2 3, Moore 0 1-2 1, Cupp 1 0-0 2, Grambush 2 0-0 6, Taylor 0 0-0 0, Jaz. Kindsey 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-15 40.
Mullen – Hart 3 0-0 7, Il. Perez 4 0-1 9, Medina 0 2-2 2, Loukopoulos 1 0-0 2, Oswald 0 1-2 1, Pohs 4 0-0 8, Martinez 3 0-0 8, Gallegos 1 0-2 3, Van Horn 0 1-2 1, Im. Perez 5 1-6 11, Dominguez 0 0-2 0, Webster 2 0-0 5, Elges 2 0-0 5, Oates-Stamm 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-17 61.
3-pt. goals – Grabush 2, Paige; Martinez 2, Elges, Hart, Il. Perez, Webster.
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