Mustang cagers are putting together a rebound season

Photo by Cheryl Wertman – Medin’a’s Kevin Arnold (12) and his Mustang teammates will be looking to keep up their winning momentum when they host Newfane Tuesday.

Rebounding strongly from three straight seasons at or near the Niagara-Orleans League basement, Medina is off to a solid 6-2 league, 9-3 overall start as good depth and balance have keyed the Mustangs resurgence.

“The nice thing about this group is that they play unselfish basketball. They like to be successful as a team,” said Coach Tom Forrestel who regularly rotates 10 to 12 players in during the course of any game.

“It’s a great situation but sometimes getting the player rotation is a challenge,” he added. “We’re getting a lot from a lot of guys.”

Senior Munjie Brown, who is averaging 14.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3 assists leads the way for Medina which has no less than six players averaging at least five points per outing.

Dylan Lewis is averaging 11.9 points, Ben McPherson 7.8, Jason Hellwig 7.6, Kevin Arnold 6.7 and Cedric Griffith 5.3 for the Mustangs. Hellwig is also averaging 7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3 steals and McPherson 4 rebounds.

“We’re very balanced,” said Forrestel whose Mustangs are bouncing back from consecutive 2-12, 2-12 and 3-11 finishes in N-O action over the last three years. “They move the ball well and they continue to get better. They are very focused, committed and unselfish.”

Currently riding a four game winning streak, the Mustangs will be looking to avenge one of their two league losses when they host Newfane at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Panthers bested the Mustangs 65-57 at Newfane earlier.

“The Newfane game was a big disappointment but over the last three games we’ve really turned the corner,” Forrestel said. “We’ve got a lot of guys playing hard and they are all really contributing. Teamwork, unselfish play and good chemistry have been the keys for us.”

The Mustangs, who also host rival Albion on Friday, are currently two games behind undefeated (8-0) front-running Barker in the N-O title chase. The Raiders, who handed the Mustangs their only other N-O loss, visits Wilson Tuesday and hosts CSAT Friday. Medina then visits Barker on February 4.