Mustangs late surge bests Purple Eagles

By Mike Wertman, Sports Writer Posted 16 December 2016 at 9:15 pm

Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Medina’s Jalin Cooper puts up a shot as Tommy Mattison (1) and Kory Reynolds (22) defend for Albion. The action took place during the Mustangs win over the host Purple Eagles this evening.

Putting together a big fourth quarter scoring explosion, Medina downed host Albion 70-47 this evening in the Niagara-Orleans League boys basketball opener.

Taking control of the boards and fast breaking at every opportunity, Medina outscored Albion 25-6 in the decisive final period to claim the win after holding a slender 45-41 lead at the three-quarter mark.

Albion in fact stayed within four, 50-46, early in the final stanza as a three by Chase Hall and a layup by Lamar Chambers off set Medina layups by Johnny Salone and Tryellis Atkins.

However, that was as close as the Purple Eagles would get as the Mustangs closed the game with a 20-1 run to win going away.

Albion’s Kory Reynolds puts up a shot over Medina’s Izaiah Rhim.

Jalin Cooper scored 8 on a slam dunk, two jumpers and a pair of free throws and Atkins 7 on two layups and three free throws to highlight that decisive uprising which also included threes by Alex Allis and Izaiah Rhim.

Cooper finished with a game high 24 points as Salone netted 18, Atkins 11, Rhm 7, Allis 6 and Tyler Howard and Jorge Phillips 2 each.

Chambers and Kory Reynolds both scored 13 to lead Albion as Liam Ward added 9, Tommy Mattison and Hall 5 and Demetrius Gardner 2.

Albion jumped out to an 18-13 first quarter lead as Chambers, Reynolds and Ward each had a three and a two.

However, Medina reversed that in the second quarter using an 18-12 scoring edge to rally into a 31-30 lead at the half as Salone tallied na layup in the last second.

Salone scored 8 and Cooper 6 in the period for the Mustangs while Reynolds had a pair of buckets and Mattison and Ward three’s for the Purple Eagles.

Albion went back up by five, 40-35, by opening the third period with a 10-4 run, a surge which included a pair of threes by Chambers.

The Mustangs though again answered back, this time with a 10-1 run to close the period and regain the lead for good by a 45-41 margin at the three-quarter mark.

A rebound bucket by Rhim and a three by Allis ignited that surge which also included a pair of layups by Cooper.

Keeping the momentum, the Mustangs then closed out the win with the big 25-6 fourth quarter explosion.

In another N-O contest, Wilson (1-0) defeated Akron (0-2) 59-35.