Five Takeaways: Mason City 78 vs Roosevelt 68
Des Moines — It’s now three straight wins for Mason City after a rocky 1-9 start to the season, but it wasn’t easy. Roosevelt (2-10) looked like the team that had lost nine straight games in the first half, but…
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Continue ReadingDes Moines — It’s now three straight wins for Mason City after a rocky 1-9 start to the season, but it wasn’t easy.
Roosevelt (2-10) looked like the team that had lost nine straight games in the first half, but after that, it looked like a team that could do a lot of damage in the second part of the season.
Peter Ngo was red-hot in the second half for the Roughriders, and looked like he could be one of the most dynamic players in the CIML. He brought the ‘Riders back from down 32-10 in the second quarter to within 68-60 with a three minutes left in the game.
Dylan Miller set the tone early for the Mohawks, and after missing the first eight games of the season, he had his best game of the year, scoring a game-high 19 in the win. Jeffrey Skogan added 15 for the Mohawks and freshman Corey Miner was impressive while scoring 11.
The Riders have now lost 10 straight, but have the personnel to make a run in the second half of the season with some consistent play. Ngo led the way with 19 points. Juniors Romanique Hellems and Zerrick Gurley each scored 15.
Team Scoring
Mason City — 24 21 17 14 — 78
Roosevelt — 8 20 19 21 — 68
Individual Scoring
Mason City: Dylan Miller 19, Jeffrey Skogan 15, Corey Miner 11, Carter Thomas 10, Avery Mellman 9, Jarvorius Toney 6, Jake Kaune 4, Austin Richardson 2, Malek Wesley 2.
Roosevelt: Peter Ngo 19, Romanique Hellems 15, Zerrick Gurley 15, Marcus Edwards 11, Ty Walker 6.
Five Takeaways
Mohawks Back at Full Strength
When the season started, Mason City was supposed to be a team that did a lot of damage in the CIML, then the first game of the season came and there was no Dylan Miller, no Jarvorius Toney, no Avery Mellman and they scored a grand total of 24 points in a season-opening beat-down by Ames. Eventually the three guys were all introduced back into the lineup, and now they’re staring to perform like the team we thought it’d be. After a 1-9 start, the Mohawks are now 4-9; they’re 3-0 since the final star, Toney, was re-inserted back into the lineup. They could and even should win most of their games here down the stretch. Friday night against Southeast Polk will be a good test for the Mohawks, who lost to the Rams by 10 earlier in the season sans Miller and Toney.
Iziah Paulsen Joins ‘Riders
Before the game, a source revealed that the Roughriders would be adding a new, very good piece to their team starting this week. Former Iowa City Liberty guard Iziah Paulsen will be joining the squad, he’ll start practice this week and could be playing by as soon as Friday against Des Moines East. It’s certainly tough to build chemistry with a new player midway through the season, but the ‘Riders have lost 10 straight, so, really, what do they have to lose. And Paulsen is a guy who we’ve seen dominate against top competition from around the Midwest in AAU tourneys. With Paulsen running with guys like Romanique Hellems, Peter Ngo, Marcus Edwards and Ty Walker, the ‘Riders could be the most talneted 2-10 team in the state ahead of Friday’s game with East.
Peter Ngo
In the first half it looked like Ngo was a guy who never materialized into the player we though he would a couple years back. In the second half he looked like one of the best players in the state. The 6-foot-4 wing is an athletic marvel, who can jump with the best of them and is as fast a player as we’ve seen with the ball in his hands. He can get a rebound and go, and be to the other end of the court in just a couple seconds. But his 3-ball was dropping , too, in the second half, and he was menacing on defense and on the glass he was a beast. Ngo scored four points in the first half and his team was down 19. He scored 15 in the second half and the Riders outscored the Mohawks by nine. The Riders go as Ngo goes. If Ngo can be consistent, the ‘Riders could win a lot of ball games down the stretch.
Mohawks Freshman Impact
We came to see Corey Miner, and he did not disappoint. But he wasn’t the only high-scoring Mason City freshman tonight. Fellow freshman guard Carter Jennings poured in 10 points of his own, nearly outdoing Miner, who scored 11 in the win. Miner was the more impressive of the two tonight, showcasing some dynamism when he ran off six points in a 25 second span of the second quarter. The 5’9 lefty has some serious skill and savvy to his game, he’s crafty.
Two Dangerous Teams
The Mohawks are now 4-9 and the ‘Riders fall to 2-10 after their 10th straight loss. But still, somehow we left feeling that these were two teams that could do dome damage down the stretch this season. In the first half, it looked like Roosevelt might be a lost cause: like pack it up and get ready for next year. But their second half was utterly impressive, not just from an effort standpoint, but also a skill standpoint: they have some high-level talent on the roster. Mason City, when at full-strength with Mellman, Toney, Skogan, Miner, Miller etc. put just as much talent on the floor as some of the better teams in the CIML. We will not be the least surprised if one or both of these teams are playing in a substate final come late late-February.