Mullen wins finale, ends league losing drought
Mustangs, behind Micah and Jordan Leslie, and Josh Lopez, beat Arapahoe 48-41 and erase 15-year non-winning streak in the Centennial.
CENTENNIAL – Mullen is discovering this playing-together thing actually works.
Consider what the Mustangs had to deal with on Saturday:
--- They were coming off a tight, tough loss to high-end Eaglecrest.
--- They were facing Arapahoe on the road in their regular-season finale and trying to land a decent Class 5A playoff seed as well as attempting it without their top player, senior Brayden Carter, who had an ankle problem and didn’t dress for the game.
--- And the Mustangs were seeking a victory for their first winning league record since the 2005-06 season.
Ultimately, as they have learned, playing together worked … again.
Mullen led the whole way in a slower, mistake-filled contest, winning 48-41 to get to 8-6 overall, 7-6 in league. The most-recent winning record in the Centennial for the program occurred when no current player was more than 3 years old.
“Any team that plays together is a good team,” Mullen head coach Bob Caton said. “It sounds mundane or whatever, but when you play together good things happen.”
Good things happened – the Leslie brothers, Micah and Jordan, were stellar. Micah, a junior forward, went for 20 points, nine rebounds and a handful of blocked shots, and had a lot of success moving inside as well as on fade-away moves. Jordan, a freshman, handled Arapahoe pressure, helped keep the ball moving, defended and chipped in 11 points.
“I knew it would be hard without Brayden,” Micah Leslie said. “We did a good job on defense. I think it helps switching the defense like we did and it shows we’re able to play it and limit (opponents’) shots.”
Junior guard Josh Lopez also contributed 11 points and stability out front, and was 6-of-6 on free throws, leading Mullen to a 12-of-13 showing.
“We play our best ball when we play together,” Lopez said. “Everyone’s getting touches and good shots. We had to step up without Brayden.”
Mullen defended Arapahoe (5-9, 4-9) to the point that it made only two of its first 20 shots. While the Warriors kept coming, Mullen repeatedly came up with answers. In addition, Sean Berg added a couple of key plays late and contributed six points.
Carter figures to be ready by Tuesday’s first-round game – the bracket is due Sunday – and the team hopes it can expand its league success into the playoffs.
“It’s a very big deal,” Catpn said of his team’s league mark. “They all played well and did a good job.”
MULLEN 48, ARAPAHOE 41
Mullen 8 15 11 14 -- 48
Arapahoe 3 11 19 8 -- 41
Mullen – J. Leslie 3 4-5 11, Lopez 2 6-6 11, Berg 2 2-2 6, Smith 0 0-0 0, Schmitt 0 0-0 0, M. Leslie 10 0-0 20, Dominguez 0 0-0 0, Heffern 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 12-13 48.
Arapahoe – Yagey 5 0-0 15, Pranger 0 0-0 0, Scheckenbach 1 0-0 3, D’Agostino 6 0-0 12, Adams 5 1-2 11, Sweeney 0 0-0 0, Hansen 0 0-0 0, Henry 0 0-0 0, Gueller 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 1-2 41.
3-pt. goals – J. Leslie, Lopez; Yagey 5, Scheckenbach.
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