Bruins Win Despite Lapses Down the Stretch

Wilson High was operating on cruise control when it fell asleep at the wheel. Fortunately for the Bruins, they were able to right the ship and escape with a victory.

The Bruins almost blew a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter against La Mirada before getting their bearings and hanging on for a 59-56 non-league win over the Matadores on Monday in the Martin Luther King Classic.

La Mirada had a chance to tie the score in the final seconds, but the Matadores were unable to get off a shot before time expired.

“We should have finished better, but I was proud of our guys’ effort,” Wilson coach Matt Michelson said.  “We’ve got to take care of the ball better though. I thought we played hard and competed, but we didn’t play smart near the end.”

Wilson (10-9) seemed in control with a 58-50 lead after Jared Grimes rebounded a miss by Ian Thomas and scored with 1:39 remaining. The Bruins got possession again after La Mirada guard Roger Hamel was whistled for a charging foul with 1:34 to play, and the game seemed in hand.

The Bruins, though, had trouble closing the deal because of sloppy passes and turnovers. La Mirada responded with a furious rally and almost forced overtime.

A basket by Tyler Luatua closed the gap to 59-54 with 15 seconds remaining before Luatua stole the inbounds pass and scored again to cut the lead to three with 14 seconds left.

Thomas missed two free throws with 8.8 seconds left before the Matadores called a time out to set up the final play. But the Bruins’ defense kept La Mirada from getting a good look.

Wilson had dictated play for much of the contest before its lapse in the fourth quarter. The Bruins used a 9-2 run to break up a close contest during the final five minutes of the first half to take a 35-24 lead at intermission.

They increased the lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter before settling for a 47-34 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Ryan Small’s 3-pointer at the start of the fourth gave Wilson a 50-34 advantage.

It all was going as planned for Wilson until turnovers and the scoring of Hamel and Luatua made Wilson sweat down the stretch. Hamel finished with a game-high 24 points.

Alex Fitzhugh led Wilson with 16 points. Zack Reince and Jaevon Weston each scored nine.

The victory was the second in a row for Wilson after suffering a 78-36 pounding at Poly in a Moore League game on Jan. 12. The Bruins defeated Long Beach Cabrillo 62-61 in another league contest on Friday, improving their mark in the Moore League play to 3-2.

They resume league play on Friday at Long Beach Jordan, which is in second place in the league behind Poly. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

“It’s a big game for us,” Michelson said.