Following a disappointing 45-38 loss last Wednesday night to Wooddale in one of the final non-conference games of the year, the varsity basketball team began their new season, the conference season, in style, defeating rival CBHS for the 14th time out of 16 opportunities with a 61-48 victory last Friday night.
The Owls placed three players in double figures in scoring, led by Ryan Baum's 22 points. Philip Reed had a strong game as he tallied 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal, while Derek Clenin added 11 points.
MUS held the lead throughout as the Purple Wave shot very poorly from the field. The Owls held a 24-16 lead at the break as CBHS shot only 23.1% for the first half, including an 0-5 mark from three-point range.
MUS only increased the advantage after the break as they shot 62.5% from the floor to build the lead to as many as 16 points, and CBHS had no answer.
The Wave tried to keep Baum off-balance as Clenin's defender regularly sagged off the senior point guard to help on Baum, yet Clenin responded by staying patient and keeping the ball moving to find cracks in the CBHS defense. The Owls only had 12 turnovers for the game and also forced 8 steals against the talented Wave.
MUS, now 11-6, 1-0, face two tough road games this week. Tonight they play Harding at 7:30 p.m. while they travel to ECS to battle the Eagles on Friday night. Both are very important as they are critical region games.