Matt Coldren-Wilson

It’s not how you start, but how you finish that matters. Coaches in all sports have often used that old adage. Wilson head coach Matt Coldren had a different opinion after a tense 44-41 win at rival Gov. Mifflin. “I think getting off to the great start won us the game,” said Coldren. A 3-pointer by Madyx Gruber gave the Bulldogs a 9-0 advantage with 4:39 left in the opening quarter. The Mustangs went nearly four minutes without scoring. Gruber finished with a game-high 19 points and went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. “What stood out to me was he didn’t press. They were denying him a lot. He didn’t have as many touches as he normally does. He’s a gamer. He makes shots that most guys can’t make,” noted Coldren. Wilson was in front 17-6 after eight minutes and 24-13 at halftime. The Mustangs trailed 36-26 entering the fourth quarter which is when things heated up. Gov. Mifflin went on a 12-to-3 run and pulled within 39-38 on a triple by Matt Koehler with 1:50 left. Koehler had a team-high 17 points, including a dozen in the second half. “His game has really evolved. Last year I thought he was strictly a 3-point shooter, much easier to guard. He’s taking advantage of his size now. He’s kind of a tough matchup for us,” explained Coldren. Koehler, a 6’3 senior, missed a 3-pointer that would have given the Mustangs their first lead with 50 seconds remaining. Correll Akings sank two clutch foul shots with 31 seconds to play to extend the Bulldogs’ cushion to 41-38. After Stephen Mayo missed a layup, Gruber made two more free throws for the (5-1) Bulldogs. Gov. Mifflin senior point guard Andrew Galantuomo banked in a 40-foot shot to make it 43-41 with two seconds to go. Gruber then went 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. The Mustangs’ inbounds pass was deflected by Cam Zullinger at half-court and fittingly ended up in the arms of Gruber. Akings chipped in with nine points and Tommy McFadden added six. Wilson starts four seniors and brings three more off the bench. “We’ve been there. We’ve got a lot of guards who have been in this situation before,” emphasized Coldren. The Bulldogs are the defending BCIAA champions. After going (15-29) over the past two seasons, the Mustangs are back on track under first-year head coach Garrett Etzel. They beat Muhlenberg and Berks Catholic last week. “I’m a Garrett Etzel fan. I think he was a great player…and I have a lot of respect for him. I’m happy for him,” said Coldren. There are ten seniors on Gov. Mifflin’s roster. Ian Fleming, the lone junior in their starting lineup, contributed twelve points. The (4-2) Mustangs were 5-of-9 from the free throw line, while Wilson went 12-for-16. The Bulldogs connected four times from beyond the arc. Gov. Mifflin splashed just two 3-pointers and one was the long range bomb by Galantuomo before the buzzer. The attendance in Shillington was 1,150 for this Division 1 battle in the Berks Conference. “Our division is gonna be a dog fight every night,” stated Coldren.