The MUS varsity basketball team's season ended all too abruptly as the Red Knights of Bishop Byrne toppled the Owls in the quarterfinals of the region tournament, 55-43, to conclude the Owls' year at 17-12.
MUS eased into the quarters with an easy victory over Catholic in the first round.
The Owls jumped on the out-manned Chargers from the outset, grabbing an early double-digit advantage, and never looked back, winning 65-23.
MUS placed three players in double figures as everyone got to play. Junior Philip Reed led the Owls with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Ryan Baum added 15 points and Andrew Hanover 12.
MUS held the Chargers, who finished the year at 5-22, to only 17% shooting from the field and out-rebounded them by 11 to move on in the tournament.
However, the Owls' run ended the next game.
Byrne, whom MUS defeated on the road just one week earlier, came out confident and prepared in the rematch.
The Red Knights scored the first basket of the game, and they never trailed en route to the 55-43 victory.
The Owls trailed by 8 late in the second quarter, but a 4-0 run to end the half gave MUS the momentum as they trailed 25-21 at the break.
However, Byrne extended that lead to 10 in the third quarter, and the Owls never got closer than 6 the rest of the way to absorb the defeat.
Hanover led MUS in scoring as he tallied 16, while Baum added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Yet Charles Hampton's 21 points did the Owls in as the Red Knights advanced.
However, the devastating loss cannot diminish the many high points of the season.
MUS began the season 4-0, including a big home victory over mid-state rival MBA.
After losing to defending state champion Father Ryan by two, the Owls reeled off another four victories, including a 19-point win against Johnston City in the first round of the Carbondale Holiday Tournament.
With the addition of the football players, the seniors began playing much better during the Christmas break. Ryan Baum, who lettered four years during his career, scored 25 points again Johnston City as he began to show some consistency in his game. Fighting injuries all season, Baum led the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game. He was also named as the boy's prep player of the week several weeks later by The Commercial Appeal.
Yet other seniors began to emerge to play large roles on this team.
Derek Clenin became the leader of the squad from the point position as he ran the team and became one of the team's best defensive players. He also finished the season with nearly a 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, outstanding for a point guard.
John Phillips and Philip Blackett provided a much-needed post presence as they rebounded well and hit a high percentage of their shots. Phillips hit 50% of his shots and averaged 7 points per game and nearly 5 rebounds per game, while Blackett, who played in only 16 games because of an injury, hit 49% of his shots and provided much muscle inside.
Clay Chapman was perhaps the most versatile player on the team as he could post up or step outside and hit a three-pointer. After having come back from a knee injury, Chapman started 16 games, was the team's fourth leading rebounder, but also hit 33% of his three-pointers, the second best percentage on the team.
Andrew Hanover was the Owls' biggest threat from the perimeter. The senior hit 34 threes this year, the second most on the team, and he averaged nearly 8 points per game. Hanover was also the team's best free-throw shooter as he hit 82.5% throughout the season. But Hanover may be best known for his defensive performances as he led the team in drawn charges, averaging nearly 1 per game.
The Owls got senior help from the bench as well. Henry Talbot and Nathan Haynes were invaluable teammates and played hard when given the opportunity. Talbot gave ball-handling help when needed, while Haynes, with his signature goggles, taught the team and all who observed the magic of the sky hook.
MUS won two of three games in Carbondale to head into the new year with a 9-2 record.
Unfortunately, the new year did not start off well for the Owls. MUS lost 4 of their next 5 games against some outstanding competition, including Lausanne, Germantown, Bartlett, and Wooddale. The setbacks had MUS reeling with a 10-6 record headed into district play.
However, a win over CBHS always serves as a panacea for a struggling team. The Owls played perhaps their most complete game of the year against their rivals to take the 61-48 victory. Baum's 22 points and 8 rebounds paced MUS.
Yet MUS could not maintain their momentum from their big win. The Owls lost 3 of their next 4 district games to fall to 2-3 in the league as they reached a critical point in the year.
But the Owls responded once again, and the recipient was again the Purple Wave. In a truly outstanding game, a Phillips-to-Baum inbounds pass led to a tip-in with fewer than 10 seconds remaining to give MUS the 54-53 win and set their season back on course.
The Owls followed that win with exciting triple-overtime victory over Harding. Baum was outstanding on this night, scoring 32 points and adding 11 rebounds.
The win put MUS in position to finish high in the district, possibly even first, but the Owls could not take advantage. They finished their district season losing two of their last three games to finish 5-5 in the league.
However, some underclassmen began to play more minutes and play significantly better.
Junior Philip Reed started 24 games this season but really played good ball near the end of the year. He led the team in scoring in three of the team's final five games, and he averaged over 8 points per game and over 3 rebounds per game for the season. His slashing style caused problems for teams throughout.
Junior Blake Wiedman also played better later in the year as he logged significant minutes coming off the bench. He played in 25 games and had only 13 turnovers all season to provide some depth for the team.
These underclassmen, as well as Chris Cole, Lee Hoyle, John Conrad McCrary, and Marcus Moss, provided good effort and were very valuable teammates.
The Owls finished the regular season well with a road victory over Bishop Byrne before heading into the region tournament. However, after an easy win over Catholic, they could not beat the Red Knights again as their 2002-03 season ended.
Though the Owls say goodbye to eight seniors, they are excited about some younger players coming up and look forward to next fall.
