Wilson boys rout Mullins

Tuesday’s game between Mullins and Wilson pitted two of the top programs in the Pee Dee against each other in a rare non-region marquee matchup.

But after it was over, even Tigers coach Bob Wilson couldn’t believe the margin of victory.

Behind Alan-Michael Thompson and Shahmel Brackett, Wilson used two double-digit runs en route to a 75-55 win over Mullins, handing the Auctioneers their first regular-season loss in more than a year.

“I certainly wasn’t expecting anything of this margin,” Wilson said. “Mullins is a great team, and by that I do mean team. They play so well together.

“But we were able to get some rebounds and some transition baskets early and then play with a lead. That made it more difficult for them to come back.”

Up 26-25 in the second quarter, Wilson’s first big run was led by Brackett, who posted nine of his 18 points in the second frame. The Tigers scored 16 straight points to take a 42-30 halftime lead.

Mullins pulled within 44-37 in the third quarter, but Wilson extinguished any hopes of a comeback with an 11-0 run as the Tigers entered the final quarter with a 57-41 lead.

“Anybody that’s seen us knows that if we can pass the ball well in transition, we’ve got some guys who can finish,” Wilson said. “We went from being up seven to up 12 or 14 in a minute or so.”

One of guys who was a big finisher for the Tigers was Thompson, who finished with a game-high 20 points.

“We were tied 17-17 after one quarter and coach just told us to run our plays,” Thompson said. “We started to run and get some easy baskets and went on from there.”

Thompson and Brackett traded off being the go-to guys in every other quarter, giving Wilson a solid 1-2 punch.

“It just goes to whoever is hotter at the moment,” Thompson said. “It works pretty good on this team, and we have a lot of other guys who step up and make plays, too.”

Mullins, was coming off a hard-fought battle Monday with Flora MacDonald Academy, a top prep school in North Carolina.

“We’ve played back-to-back games before and done better, so I don’t know if fatigue was a factor or not,” Mullins coach Mark Gerald said. “I really think Wilson just outhustled and out-played us tonight. They wanted it more, and they’re a good team.”

One of the things that plagued the Aucs was missed shots. Mullins managed just 24 points combined in the second and third quarters.

Eric Smith, a South Carolina commitment, was 0-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with just nine points.

“(Smith) usually doesn’t have that bad of a night, and we usually make a lot more of those shots,” Gerald said. “But we missed a lot and then Wilson was able to score some easy baskets because we weren’t able to get back in time.”

Stacy Wilson was the only Aucs player in double figures with 15 points. Saquan McFarland and Darnell Coleman finished with eight and nine points, respectively.

Rodrea Brown added 10 points for the Tigers, giving them three players in double figures.

Wilson (8-0) will host South Florence on Thursday. Mullins (5-1) will play Latta in the Marion Christmas Tournament on Monday.

GIRLS
Wilson 62, Mullins 23

In another battle of unbeatens, the Wilson Tigers quickly claimed dominance.

The Tigers got contributions from 10 different players en route to their seventh win of the season.

Brittney Davis led the charge with 16 points as Wilson built a 44-11 halftime lead.

Brittney McIver added 10 points for the Tigers and Brienna Taylor and Chasity Watson each chimed in with eight.

Damiele Edwards led the Auctioneers with seven points.