Kyle Conrad-Gov. Mifflin

Where were you on February 13, 2017? If you’re a Gov. Mifflin basketball fan, you were probably watching the Mustangs beat rival Wilson 43-40 in the Berks County quarterfinals. That’s the last time Gov. Mifflin defeated the Bulldogs…until Friday night. Matt Harley’s driving shot with seven seconds left gave the Mustangs a 54-52 victory in Shillington. The students, including Gatorade Football Player of the Year Nick Singleton, stormed the court after ending a 9-game losing streak to Wilson. Gov. Mifflin head coach Kyle Conrad described the atmosphere and the energy that the fans provided. We also discussed the Mustangs’ final possession. Conrad knows that Harley is no longer simply a long distance shooter. Harley finished with 22 points. The 6’5 senior jammed 14 points into the fourth quarter. Gov. Mifflin rallied after falling behind 46-38 with five minutes left. Tyler Minick drilled a clutch three-pointer from the right corner with 40 seconds remaining. It was the first three this season for the UConn baseball commit and it evened the score at 52. The (2-1) Mustangs sank ten three-pointers. They only made six shots all night from inside the arc. Gerrell McNeil came out on fire. The 6’2 junior splashed three triples in the first quarter. He ended up with 15 points. His brother, Delsin, added seven points. Conrad told me that this is the best shooting team that Gov. Mifflin has had in recent years. He’s also thrilled with the contribution from multi-sport athletes. Conrad played for the Mustangs and went on to score 1,157 points at Elizabethtown College. He stressed how much respect he has for the Wilson program and head coach Matt Coldren who has won 360 games. The (3-1) Bulldogs trailed 13-12 after the first period and 22-20 at halftime. They stormed out of the locker room with a 7-0 run and led 39-36 after the third quarter. Cleveland Harding carried Wilson with a career-high 19 points. The 5’9 junior missed a jumper from the right wing at the buzzer. 6’4 senior Foday Sillah chipped in with 14 points, eight coming in the final quarter. Cam Jones had nine. The Bulldogs were 6-10 from the free throw line, while Gov. Mifflin shot 12-20. Wilson entered the league opener having won 45 of its last 47 games! They host defending state champion Reading on Tuesday. The Mustangs have a quick turnaround. They travel to Hempfield on Saturday.