Mustangs survive 2OT thriller against Arapahoe

 

The unexpected noise near the intersection of Lowell Boulevard and Highway 285 in Southwest Denver around 7 o’clock on Saturday evening came from Hutchison Fieldhouse and it was warranted.

Indeed, all of the screams, sighs of relief and cries of joy were a release of sorts for Mullen’s Mustangs.

Such is the case with basketball teams that suffer long losing streaks, feel like they’ve hit the wall and realize their chances for possibly winning again are dwindling, and quickly.

However, the Mustangs went through all of the above and more in taking an 81-80 double-overtime victory over Arapahoe at Hutchison Fieldhouse. The Centennial League victory snapped a 10-game losing streak that wore on the Mustangs like a rash that wouldn’t go away. They are 4-13 overall, 1-7 in league, and relieved like you can’t believe to be back in the win column.

“Definitely,” sophomore point guard Josh Lopez said. “It’s awesome. Words can’t describe it. It’s amazing.”

Said senior guard Diallo Thompson: “Yeah, for sure, it feels good. We just came together like (head) coach (Bob Caton) said, ‘It’s payback time,’ and we get to play all of these teams again.”

They would be the teams that kept Mullen winless through the first half of the Centennial schedule, all losses but one by double figures.

However, the Mustangs opened the second half of league play with their best effort of 2019-20, a scrappy, resilient showing that Caton has yearned for and kept the score close and the modest crowd on the edge of its seat. Certainly, a lot of the problems Mullen has experienced, in particular poor shot selection, bad passing and not nearly enough defense or rebounding, again were relevant, but Saturday’s effort to deal with them worked.

“That’s high-school ball,” Caton said. “You know what, we bent but didn’t break, if that’s how you say it. We made some plays when we had to and when it didn’t go well, we made mistakes but were able to overcome them, by being together and believing in each other. We overcame and that’s what it is, doing it as a team.”

Arapahoe (10-7, 2-6) led most of the first half before Mullen showed life, first with getting one of its few second-half leads since before Christmas and next with a series of plays by Thompson, Lopez and junior pivot Brayden Carter, firepower previously unseen. The three combined for 70 points and took turns scoring in the final, tense minutes.

Excellent free-throw shooting (28-of-34) also carried the Mustangs, who, like the Warriors, had chances to seal it at the end of regulation as well as in the two extra sessions.

Ultimately, Thompson (25 points) had a big fourth quarter and second OT; Lopez (21 points) was steady throughout; and Carter (24 points) turned in much-needed inside work. Sophomore Callen Smith had a big basket in the fourth as did senior Jackson Bond in the second OT, and the team’s intensity on defense, especially when it counted, was easily a season-high.

When the ball was in the balance and loose, then Arapahoe’s final attempt misfired near the buzzer, Mullen’s release began.

“We worked really hard and it was a really good win for us,” Carter said. The losing streak, he admitted, “was hard to deal with, but this was a good win.”

Said Lopez: “It’s going to be a big momentum-changer for us.”

With a half-dozen regular-season games to play, Mullen will be at Eaglecrest on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m.

“There’s no substitute for winning,” Caton said.

 

Arapahoe – Scheckenbach 3 0-0 9, Adams 2 2-2 7, Stephens 11 2-2 26, Hess 7 3-6 21, Brophy 1 0-0 2, Douglas 2 2-5 7, Yegey 2 0-0 5, Pranger 1 0-0 3, D’Agostino 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 9-15 80.

Mullen – Thompson 8 6-10 25, Lopez 6 6-6 21, Heffern 0 4-4 4, Bond 2 0-0 5, Carter 6 12-14 24, Berg 0 0-0 0, Smith 1 0-0 2, Essex 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 28-34 81.

3-pt. goals – Hess 4, Scheckenbach 3, Stephens 2, Adams, Douglas, Pranger, Yegey; Thompson 3, Lopez 3, Bond. Fouled out – Douglas.