AURORA — Playground ball has helped C.J. Wilson.
Generously listed at 6-feet-2 on the Overland roster, the senior has learned to scrap, and it was evident Wednesday night as he sparked the Trailblazers in the second half to an important 65-57 home victory over Mullen in the Class 5A Centennial League.
As Overland moved to 12-8 overall and 6-5 in league, Wilson scored 14 of his game-high 18 points after halftime. More important, his defense and play inside inspired the Trailblazers, who outscored the Mustangs 44-30 over the final 16 minutes, most of it through creating turnovers, rebounding, cutting off the lane and challenging the Mustangs on the perimeter.
“He’s 6 feet — maybe — and one of those players who just makes plays,” Overland coach Ron Garcia y Ortiz said. “He’s real crafty in the air with the ball and understands how to create space.
“I think a lot of it is (his playing at) Del Mar Park against 6-6 kids and having to score inside. I’m really proud of where he’s come. Defense was not a word in his vocabulary.”
However, Wilson is defining it for the Trailblazers, who held Mullen (10-9, 6-5) to one basket through the first 7:25 of the fourth quarter.
“We tried to make the pace a little faster,” Wilson said. “We can’t win if we don’t play good defense, which helps all areas of our game.”
Trailing 27-21 at the half, Overland shot 8-of-12 from the floor in the third quarter and climbed within 46-42. The Trailblazers turned it up another notch as the Mustangs were guilty of five turnovers and made only one of their first five shots.
Overland took the lead for good at 52-50 on a basket by Aaron Marshall, then used assorted contributions on the way to a 23-point fourth quarter. Darius Pardner (12 points) and Marshall (10) were next in scoring, but Kameron Bentley, Derek Coble and Jai Bransford each fulfilled vital roles.
“Now’s the time to be playing well,” Wilson said.
Blair Holley (16 points) and Erik Giacomozzi (14) paced Mullen.
“It was tough to lose, but I think we’re playing better,” Mustangs coach Porter Cutrell said. “We didn’t cover up a couple of times on defense.”
Both teams are tied for third place in the Centennial. On Friday, Mullen plays at league-leading Arapahoe, and Overland will visit Grandview.
Mullen 18 9 19 11 — 57
Overland 13 8 21 23 — 65
Mullen — Giacomozzi 4 2-2 14, Holley 7 2-2 16, Stransky 2 0-0 5, Decristino 0 0-0 0, Whitney 3 0-0 9, Brady 1 0-0 2, Ehrhart 0 0-0 0, Storm 0 0-0 0, Whye 0 1-2 1, Brown 2 1-2 5, Clarizo 0 0-0 0, Elges 1 3-3 5. Totals 20 9-11 57.
Overland — Wilson 6 4-7 18, Marshall 3 2-2 10, Coble 3 1-2 7, Pardner 3 3-4 12, Lowe 0 0-0 0, Benning 3 0-0 6, Haynes 0 0-0 0, Bentley 3 1-4 7, Bransford 0 5-6 5. Totals 21 16-25 65.
3-point goals: Mullen — Giacomozzi 4, Whitney 3, Stransky.Overland — Pardner 3, Wilson 2, Marshall 2.
