Matt Coldren-Wilson

How significant was Wilson’s 54-43 win over rival Gov. Mifflin? Head coach Matt Coldren said, “Playoffs started for us tonight.” Twelve teams qualify for the District 3-6A playoffs. Entering this matchup in West Lawn, the Bulldogs were #10 and the Mustangs were #13 in the power rankings. Wilson is trying to make up ground after tough early season losses at Gov. Mifflin, Exeter, and Hempfield by a combined four points. The Bulldogs raced out to an 8-2 advantage over the Mustangs. Wilson was in front 23-18 at halftime and 37-34 after the third quarter. 5’11 junior Delsin McNeil gave Gov. Mifflin a brief one point lead on a layup with 1:45 remaining in the third quarter. Aidan Melograna quickly responded with a 3-pointer for the (10-5, 5-3) Bulldogs. They were tied at 41 with 5:12 to play when Keegan Coldren hit a 3-pointer. His dad, who’s also the longtime head coach, talked about that big shot. Keegan added two free throws with 44 seconds left for a 50-43 edge. Wilson sealed the deal with a 13-2 run. Coldren is a perfectionist when it comes to defense. He was happy with how his players guarded the 3-point line tonight. The (7-9, 3-5) Mustangs connected on ten treys when they beat the Bulldogs 54-52 on December 17th. Gov. Mifflin only made two from beyond the arc in the rematch. The Mustangs came in averaging 57 points. They were held to six points in the first quarter and nine in the fourth period. Junior point guard and leading scorer Cam Jones was back in Wilson’s lineup after missing the previous four games. According to Coldren, Jones wasn’t feeling well so he went with Seamus Breslin and freshman Madyx Gruber down the stretch. Coldren believes that Gruber has a bright future. The 5’9 guard had seven points. His dad, Jarrad, scored 2,014 career points at Hamburg. The Bulldogs received 13 points from their bench, while the Mustangs got one point from their reserves. Cleveland Harding had a team-high 12 points to go along with six rebounds. 6’4 senior Foday Sillah finished with ten points and eight boards for Wilson. Delsin McNeil took game-high honors with 16 points for Gov. Mifflin. The 5’11 junior jammed ten points into the third quarter. His brother, Gerrell, chipped in with a dozen points. Matt Harley had ten. The Mustangs were 9-14 from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs went 9-16. Wilson has won ten of the last eleven contests in the rivalry. The Bulldogs visit the Geigle Complex on Friday. Coldren, who has won a school-record 367 games, always looks forward to facing the Red Knights.