LAKE STATIONÂ â Times No. 10 Kouts started five seniors Wednesday night, and Lake Station started two seniors and three sophomores.
The Mustangs experience, coupled with their speed and frantic defense, proved to be the difference as they ran past the Eagles for an 89-46 road victory and their 10th straight win.
Cole Wireman and Parker Kneifel provided the play of the game midway through the third quarter. As Wireman raced down the court on a fast break, instead of shooting a layup, he passed it off the backboard to a trailing Kneifel, who slammed in a two-handed dunk.
The highlight-reel alley-oop made all of the players on Kouts bench stand up, while the Mustangs fans cheered in delight.
KOUTSÂ â Kouts was right there.
Sophomore guard Matthew Baker drained a corner 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the third quarter to cut Andrean s lead down to one point heading into the final period on Wednesday night. The Mustangs fans, though limited due to COVID-19, cheered loudly in their home gym as their team inched closer to a potential upset.
It didn t happen.
Another test for the Mustangs and another shortcoming.
This time, however, the loss didn t mark the end of the their season. Instead, it represents an opportunity for the team to improve on its quest for respect. The conversation after the game was that we knew what we were walking into with Andrean, Cale Wireman said. That s why we played them and played in the (Wabash Valley Classic). We want to play teams that are going to push us. . No one is going hang their head on our team because we knew we might take some losses by (playing a stiffer schedule), but it s going to make us better and help us re