MIDDLETOWN — Today is the “tomorrow” the Middletown Mustangs have been shooting for, running the table in their last five games against opponents in the 2011 North Central League I North varsity boys” basketball race.
Today, at 5 p.m., the Mustangs, co-champions of the North, open their postseason campaign against their rival — make that their archr ival — co-champion Fort Bragg at Lower Lake High School — a neutral court that favors Middletown.
“We”re not getting a true homecourt advantage,” said Middletown coach G.J. Rockwell.
The Mustangs earned the showdown game for an automatic berth in next week”s North Coast Section Division IV playoffs — which for the winner carries the certainly of hosting a first-round game (the loser can still reach the playoffs as an at-large team) — by completing its five-game season-ending sweep over Willits on Friday night, 62-50.
If the two regular-season games matching Middletown and Fort Bragg, both of whom finished 6-2 in the North standings, are a true indication, their battle today should be a classic. Willits coach Tim Conrad believes it will be.
“Middletown is a little bit better on the boards, but Fort Bragg”s defense is really tough,” surmised Conrad. “It”s a real even match-up. It kind of depends on where they play. Fort Bragg got them at home and Middletown got them over here. It”s going to depend on who plays defense I think.”
What was not a classic was the Mustangs” victory over the Wolverines, which was expected to be a lock — and for three quarters it followed that form. The Mustangs were up by 21 — 50-29 — with two minutes left in the third quarter. But then, inexplicably, the Wolverines played their best basketball while Middletown played its worst.
“When we played at Fort Bragg, they had us by 22 in the fourth and we got it to five,” said Conrad.
Against the Mustangs, Willits got within six points at 55-49. Middletown, meanwhile didn”t score its first of just two field goals in the fourth until John-Wesley Davis connected with 4:43 remaining in the game. The count stood at 52-41 at that point. Then, with the score at 55-41, the Wolverines made it closer with an 8-0 run.
“We were sloppy with the ball and we got a little lackadaisical, we didn”t rebound and got away from the way we play a little bit,” said Rockwell.
The Mustangs kept the edge by accuracy at the foul line after Willits” final-minute intentional foul, making seven of nine.
Bo Sheffer led Middletown, which finishes the regular season at 17-9, with 17 points and Jake Anderson had 10. Odah Karkar”s 19 points paced the Wolverines, who finish 2-6 in the North standings.
Rockwell could only wonder how the Mustangs came unglued in the final period.
“Sometimes you can”t put a finger on it,” he shrugged, “it”s just one of those little bumps. They held it together though. It worked out in the end and now it”s on to whatever happens.”
