It was fitting that it should end this way – Wilson coming back from a mounting deficit to take the lead on the shoulders of its leader and boosts from the supporting cast, with the crowd screaming at the top of their lungs. That’s how the Bruins have played all season: passionately, no matter the odds or the points stacked against them. On Friday night, though, King High just had too much in the tank.
The Wolves defeated the Bruins at Wilson by a score of 71-63, to advance past the second round of the CIF Playoffs. King was led by 6’7” Kawhi Leonard’s 24 points and 14 rebounds, while point guard Taylor Cunningham had 15 points. Wilson star guard Mike Wilder scored 28 points while Joel Bitonio added 13 points and 5 rebounds, but the Bruins received excellent production from all of its players to nearly upset the Wolves.
“Even with the loss, I think we ended on a proud note as far as team production,” said Wilder.
Things weren’t looking so good for Wilson in the second quarter, as King jumped out to an 11-point lead and headed into halftime up 33-26. Wilder faced double teams whenever he drove into the lane, and the Wolves also deployed halfcourt traps to force the ball out of his hands.
But Wilson opened up the second half with an 11-3 run, and took the lead when junior Josh Bell stole the ball and used a nifty in-and-out dribble to shake his defender for the layup. It was the Bruins’ best quarter, as they looked for scoring options besides Wilder and all players attacked the basket. Wilson led 37-36 and King was forced to take a timeout.
“I thought our team competed extremely hard,” said Wilson head coach Mike Michelson. “I felt we did a lot of things that were good enough to win.”
The packed Wilson gym erupted when Wilder nailed an open three to give the Bruins their biggest lead of the game, 44-38. It was all King from then on, though, as the Wolves went on a 19-5 run and Wilson could not recover. King denied Wilder the ball, and forced him into passing situations when he dribbled on the perimeter. Leonard controlled the boards and Cunningham dashed into the lane time and time again. California’s sixth-ranked team, King nailed their free throws when they needed to and escaped Long Beach with the victory. After the game, Michelson praised King’s talent and reflected on how he will remember this year’s Bruin team.
“It was an excellent group of young men,” he said. “They got it done on the court and in the classroom and only got better as the season went on.”
Wilder ended his high school career with an efficient shooting night, even though King keyed on him the entire game. The 6’2” guard shot 8-17 from the field (including four 3-pointers) and hit eight of his nine free throws. “I think I left it all on the court, and so did the rest of the guys,” Wilder said. His coach agreed, and added that he wasn’t surprised one bit.
“Mike Wilder plays every game like it’s his last,” Michelson said, “And this was no different.”
Here are some shots taken by Stephen Dachman at the Bruins/Wolves game…
