Both teams wanted this game; that much was obvious from the opening tip.  But Wilson could clinch a playoff spot with a victory while Compton was playing the upset card.  In the end, the Bruins needed and wanted the win more and downed the Tarbabes, 72-55 on Senior Night.

Senior guard Mike Wilder scored 25 points and nabbed nine rebounds for the Bruins, while key guard Josh Bell played scrappy defense on his way to 18 points, four rebounds and four steals.  But Wilson head coach Matt Michelson was quick to credit his entire team for the win.

“It sounds so cliche, but this was a total team win,” he said after the game.  “We were much better at recognizing the defense and attacking, which is something we’ve needed to focus on.”

Compton stuck close throughout the first half, trailing by just three at the half (27-24).  Junior guard Cliff Sims scored 11 of his 21 in the first half, and sophomore Marshawn McMahon poured in 9 of his 16 points in the third quarter.  But not even a vicious two-handed dunk from Sims could get Compton going, as they devolved into a one-on-one offense that was easily contained by Wilson.

“We just got away from what we were doing,” said Compton head coach Tony Thomas.  “Wilson played well and we just couldn’t get into a rhythm.”

With the win, Wilson takes third place in the Moore League outright.  They’ll learn their playoff fate on Saturday, while Compton ends its season in fifth place with a 4-8 league record.  But the Tarbabes have a lot to look forward to, as they’ll return most of their scoring next season.  Sophomore guard Allan Guei played injured and had trouble, but Thomas knows he has the building blocks to prepare for a successful future.

“We’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and teach these guys how to play team basketball,” he said.

Wilson, meanwhile, will look to repeat the surprising playoff success that they enjoyed last year.  This time around, though, their opponents will see them coming.  Michelson is just glad that they avoided the fate that Lakewood and Millikan find themselves in tonight: a one-game playoff for the postseason.

“We were looking forward to controlling our own destiny tonight,” he said.  “The season is a rollercoaster ride; it’s all about overcoming adversity.”