Big 3-pointer by Keegan Coldren sparks Wilson’s late run

Shooters need to keep shooting, even if they’re missing. Matt Coldren, like all basketball coaches, reminds his guys of that constantly.

Keegan Coldren listened. Despite some early misses he pulled the trigger and connected at the right time Tuesday, his 3-pointer with 5:12 left igniting a big run as Wilson pulled away from Gov. Mifflin for a 54-43 Berks Conference Division I victory at West Lawn.

“I’m proud of him,” Matt Coldren, the Bulldogs coach, said of his son. “We ran a couple sets for him early in the game and he got clean looks and they didn’t go. We called his number in a big moment, and he made the next shot.

“He didn’t dwell on missing the first couple shots early in the game. He made the one that we needed the most. That’s what seniors should do, they’ve gotta step up in those big moments and he stepped up.”

The Bulldogs played most of the final quarter without leading scorer Cameron Jones, who left the game because he was feeling ill. They got contributions from up and down the lineup and finished the game on a 13-2 run.

“We went with the young guys, and it was a great chance for them to step up, and they did,” Matt Coldren said. “(Junior) Seamus (Breslin) and (freshman) Madyx (Gruber) did a great job taking over for (Cameron).”

Keegan Coldren’s 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs (5-3, 10-5) a 44-41 lead and started a 7-0 run. They held the Mustangs (3-5, 7-9) to one basket over the final 5 1/2 minutes. They allowed just three 3-pointers and held Mifflin to its second-lowest point total of the season.

“For me, (Mifflin) is toughest team in our division for us to match up with, with the kind of guards they have,” Matt Coldren said. “We were able to do a better job defensively (than in the first game) and get a win, which was huge for us.

“That’s a team that scores a lot of points with three guys (averaging) in double figures and we kept them well under their average. The first time (we played them, a 54-42 loss on Dec. 17) they had 10 3’s; we knew that couldn’t happen again or we’d be in huge trouble.”

Cleveland Harding scored a team-high 12 points for Wilson, six in the final quarter. Foday Sillah had 10 points and Ofure Odiale had nine.

All of Keegan Coldren’s five points came in the final minutes, including both ends of a one-and-one with 44 seconds left to extend Wilson’s lead to 50-43. The Bulldogs pulled away with seven free throws in the final minute. Prior to that their largest lead had been seven. They also missed five free throws in the final quarter.

Mifflin took its final lead at 33-32 late in the third quarter on a transition basket by Delsin McNeil, who scored 14 of his game-high 16 points in the second half.

Gerrell McNeil scored 12 points and Matt Harley 10 for the Mustangs, who saw their two-game win streak snapped.

The win was the fifth straight in league play for Wilson after an 0-3 start. It’s next game is Friday at Reading High.