All season long, the Jordan Panthers have possessed the Moore League’s most explosive offense—now it appears they may have its most stifling defense, as well. In a battle for first-place in the league, Jordan’s defense showed up in a big way, holding Wilson to just 16 points in the first half and keeping them from completing a shot from the field for over twelve of the game’s first sixteen minutes, including the entire second quarter. That effort, as well as twelve team steals, were more than good enough to net Jordan (8-2) a 65-53 win—they led by 23 at the half, and Wilson (6-4) never closed the margin to single digits in the third or fourth quarter.
From the outset, it was obvious that Jordan was focused on playing lockdown D, as Will Ervin and B.J. Tyler absolutely smothered the Bruins—they combined for 8 steals on the game. In the second quarter, the Panthers slowed their offensive tempo, something we haven’t seen often from them this season. That allowed them to limit Wilson’s possessions, and when the Bruins did have the ball, Jordan’s press, or a willingness to foul Mike Wilder when he started to work his way into an open look, usually kept them from getting a shot off. In the scoreless period, the Bruins attempted just eight shots from the field.
Wilson’s chances weren’t helped by Wilder’s ongoing struggles—the league’s best scorer has been cold as of late, and while he was still productive as usual tonight, with 28 points, he was just 8/26 from the field, and 1/10 in the first two quarters. The problem is, besides big man Joel Bitonio (who held it down with nine points and seven boards), the Bruins don’t really have anyone else who can score consistently—cold as he was, Wilder’s 26 shot attempts (he was also 11/16 from the charity stripe) was nine more than the rest of his team combined (and nine of their 17 were from Bitonio).
“I think we struggled being attack-oriented,” said Wilson head coach Matt Michelson. “We didn’t create good shots.” The loss for the Bruins comes after two narrow victories, over Poly and Cabrillo, by a combined four points.
But credit Jordan—their second-quarter strategy kept the Bruins from finding a rhythm, and Ervin (10 points), Tyler (13 points) and big man Stephan Heard (14 points, 8 rebounds) still showed that familiar Panther explosiveness. Through the third quarter, whenever the Bruins would try to light a fire, somebody else would step up and hit a big shot. “At the beginning of a season, we were individuals,” said Ervin after the game. “We’re a team now, and I love this team.”
His coach, Ron Massey, said that Jordan’s focus has been on improving their defense. “I think we’re starting to peak,” he said. If they continue to add intense, 32-minute defense into the mixture along with their multi-faceted offense, that peak might be pretty high.
Come back tomorrow for our standings box!