Matt Flowers-Muhlenberg

Muhlenberg was trailing most of the night, but the Muhls wouldn’t go away on Monday at Wilson. The Bulldogs led 28-20 late in the second quarter and 54-48 with 1:45 left. Eli Hemmings sank a pair of free throws with 26 seconds remaining to force overtime and Muhlenberg rallied for a 62-59 victory. “Down six in this gym, normally the game is over. Our young men persevered, they stuck together,” said head coach Matt Flowers. This was his first win at West Lawn in five seasons at the helm of the Muhls. Hemmings scored a team-high 23 points despite going 5-of-14 from the foul line. The 6’4 junior guard provided half of Muhlenberg’s six points in overtime. “His shot has improved tremendously. We leaned on him and he leaned on us. Everyone kept feeding each other,” replied Flowers. Hemmings has been more aggressive this season and is averaging 17.5 points.

LJ Armstrong tied his career-high with 19 points. The junior guard made two free throws with 33 seconds to go in overtime to extend the Muhls’ cushion to 61-56. Eight of Armstrong’s points came in the third quarter when Muhlenberg took a brief 34-33 advantage. “I said you are the igniter to this car. When you’re moving, everyone is moving with you. He took the key, he drove the car, and he got everyone involved,” noted Flowers. Nelson “Coco” Malave added nine points and Mike Miller Jr. chipped in with six. The Muhls improved to (10-3, 4-1), but struggled mightily at the foul line. They missed ten free throws in the fourth quarter and ended up 15-of-33. “We practice for 90 minutes [Tuesday], probably gonna be 60 minutes of free throws,” said Flowers with a smile.

Wilson was in front 11-9 after the opening quarter and 29-24 at halftime. Mike Glover came alive in the second period with ten points. Muhlenberg had no answer for the 6’3, 223-pound junior. Glover, a two-time All-State tight end, contributed nine points in the third quarter. The (9-4, 3-2) Bulldogs held a 42-38 edge entering the final eight minutes. Glover piled up a career-high 24 points and 14 rebounds. He was 8-for-10 from the stripe. “I told him when the game was over, ‘You’re a nightmare.’ He played a hell of a game. That kid works out all the time. Kudos to him and his family,” emphasized Flowers. Glover was averaging 8.3 ppg. coming into the week. Correll Akings had 16 points, including three of Wilson’s five 3-pointers. The Bulldogs went 12-of-17 from the foul line. They lost four starters and eight seniors from last year’s (24-7) team which captured its second straight BCIAA championship. The inexperience showed in the second half when Wilson committed 12 of its 18 turnovers.

Malave split two free throws with 5:47 to play to even the score at 44-44. Sophomore point guard Nechar Mercado and Akings responded with 3-pointers and the Bulldogs went on top 50-46 with three minutes left in regulation. Two buckets by sophomore guard Conner Moreland off the bench made it 54-48. Armstrong hit a key triple from the left corner to pull the Muhls within 54-52 with 54 seconds on the clock. After Glover connected on two foul shots, Hemmings had an opportunity for a three-point play with 39 seconds remaining. He missed the free throw, however, Muhlenberg tracked down the offensive rebound. Hemmings was fouled again and missed both foul shots with 33 seconds to go. Following a Wilson turnover, Hemmings was fouled yet again. This time he went 2-for-2 to even things up at 56-56 with 26 seconds to play. Akings got a clean look at a 3-pointer in the left corner before the buzzer, but he was off the mark.

Hemmings started overtime by driving down the lane and finishing with a layup. Malave made one free throw with 56 seconds remaining before the Bulldogs turned the ball over. Two foul shots by Armstrong put the Muhls in control at 61-56 with 33 seconds to go. Wilson was shut out in overtime until Akings sank a trey from the top of the key in the final seconds. Peter Kelfala and Moreland had five points apiece for the Bulldogs. Muhlenberg, which went (6-6) in league play last year, has road wins over Reading and Wilson on its resume. “Those two wins are huge, but it’s not the end of the season,” remarked Flowers.