Edwin Suarez leads second-half burst as Muhlenberg tops Gov. Mifflin
Edwin Suarez has been a big presence for Muhlenberg this season. Friday he grew a little more, leading the Muhls back from eight points down to a 55-47 Berks Conference Division I-II crossover win over Gov. Mifflin at Shillington.
Suarez, who sat for about four minutes of the second quarter with two fouls, led a dominating second-half stretch that saw the Muhls (4-1 Berks II, 10-2) outscore the Mustangs (2-4 Berks I, 5-8) 30-14 over the final 12 minutes.
“(Edwin) grew up today,” said Muhlenberg coach Matt Flowers of his 6-6 senior center. “He got beat up in the first half, and he didn’t like it. He could’ve stayed in a slump; he could’ve stayed down.
“(Instead) he refocused on the bench and I thought he went back in and was a better senior. He got tougher in the second half, and his play is speaking for it.”
Suarez, who finished with 23 points, gave Muhlenberg its first lead of the second half, scoring in transition to make it 34-33 with 2:51 left in the third quarter. That capped a 9-0 run.
Mifflin regained the lead at the end of the third period and was up 42-36 early in the fourth before Suarez fueled another big Muhlenberg run. His three-point play with 3:08 left snapped a 44-44 tie and gave the Muhls the lead for good. That was part of a 10-2 run that put the Muhls in command.
“I saw a more aggressive approach in the second half (from Suarez),” Flowers said. “I didn’t see a panic from him. Earlier in the year there would’ve been a panic. I felt a calm there. He was able to lead us, and his play spoke very well for us.”
The Mustangs went cold down the stretch, scoring just one basket over the final 4 1/2 minutes.
“Our defensive pressure was turned up more (in the third quarter),” Flowers said. “We started getting to the hole a lot more, we started knocking down 3-pointers, and their guys were getting tired. I believe we wore them out.”
The win was the fourth straight for the Division II-leading Muhls since they dropped a 57-56 crossover game at Wilson last Friday; the Muhls led by 17 in that one.
Flowers said his team grew from that experience.
“It’s all about us staying poised and sticking together,” he said. “We had our backs against the wall today and we all stuck together. There was no chaos in the huddle. There was poise, a lot of togetherness; everybody was loving each other. That was key for us today.”
Matt Harley led Gov. Mifflin with 16 points; Delsin McNeil scored 12. The loss was the fourth straight for Mifflin.
The Mustangs led 26-22 at the half and 33-25 early in the third quarter after a steal and layup by Gerrell McNeil.