Mustang Bench Saves the Day in Conference Opener

In a game with more twists and turns than Watkins Glen NASCAR Road Course, Marquette was able to make sure the last curve went their way as their bench played a huge role in a 54-44 Suburban West victory that followed yet another outstanding performance by the West County Special Olympic team on MHS' annual Special Olympics Night.

The game early on looked to be a Marquette runaway.  Coming off a 10-day break since playing at the Meramec Tourney, Lindbergh's rust combined with an unusually good offensive start by the Mustangs on this night made it look like it might be an easy night for the home team.  Ryan Rosburg converted on the first possession from a Zack Ploeger feed.  Moments later, threes by Mitch Cox and Ploeger upped the Mustang lead to 9-0 (with a Matt Hink free throw toss included).  Two more buckets by Rosburg after Lindbergh finally broke through on the scoreboard ended the opening quarter with a 13-7 lead.

As consistent as the Mustangs were in the first, they swung the other direction as much in the second.  Two turnovers and an 0/4 performance in the first three minutes allowed Lindbergh to cut the score to 13-11.  A quick flurry by the white-clad Mustangs (a Rosburg bucket and another Cox three extended the lead back to 18-11 with just a minute remaining in the half.  An incredible Lindbergh run began at that precise point in the game.  A Flyer bucket was followed by an ill-advised early, not-open shot by the Mustangs which in turn allowed Lindbergh to score two free throws after a Mustang foul.  A Mustang pass went astray with just under 20 seconds to play and the first lead of the game by Lindbergh was achieved on a buzzer-beater from the right wing and as the teams ran downstairs to their respective locker rooms, the Flyers were up 19-18.

The first three minutes of the second half were lackadaisical at best for the Mustangs.  Lindbergh took full advantage of a cold-shooting and poorly-positioned defensive squad in MHS.  By the time the Flyers had finished off a four-minute stretch of the game going back to the closing minute of the second quarter, they had gone on a 16-0 run to take a 27-18 lead.  It was at that juncture that the Marquette bench made what was one of the most dramatic and exciting comebacks ever to be seen on the Marquette Athletic Complex floor.  Senior Lanard Williams, juniors Ryan Marks, Jordan Singer, and Alex Winter and with sophomore Chris Lenzen taking the floor, the game was at a crossroads.  Would the home team lay down and continue what had become a three-game losing streak or would the Mustangs make a stand?  The answer was quickly learned...

Over the course of the final five minutes of the third quarter encompassing nine possessions, the invigorated Mustangs tallied seven buckets including two lay-ins by Winter, three-pointers by Singer and Lenzen and slick drives to the hoop by Williams to bookend the run on both ends.  After giving up a 16-0 run to fall back by nine, the bench totally changed the game around with an immediate 15-2 run to go up 32-29.  By the time the third ended, MHS led it 36-31.

Long-distance shooting to complement a strong inside game had been a thorn in the Mustangs' side all year but the fourth maybe indicated that it could instead be a strength.  Jordan Singer hit on a three-pointer to get the Mustang lead to eight early in the fourth.  That was quickly followed up by a Lenzen trey to increase the lead to nine.  After a Ploeger drive and dipsy-doo in the paint, Lenzen hit his third of the game and second of the quarter from long-distance to push the lead to double-digits.  A 6/8 performance from the line down the stretch preserved a Suburban West win for Marquette over a much-improved Lindbergh team from a year ago.

The Mustangs are off until Tuesday, January 11 when they will head back into non-conference action with another home game, this time versus Parkway North at 7pm.

Leading Scorers:  Chris Lenzen-10, Zack Ploeger-9, Ryan Rosburg-9, Mitch Cox-7, Jordan Singer-6.  Leading Rebounders:  Rosburg-7.  Leading Assists:  Lenzen-4, Ryan Marks-3, Garrett Roberts-3.  HARD HAT AWARD WINNER:  Lanard Williams

For complete stats-click HERE

For video highlights-click HERE

For prepcasts.com's broadcast-click HERE