Millbrook boys basketball
Tyrrel Tate (left) drives toward the basket during Friday's win over Broughton.
Tate, Millbrook trounce Capitals
While the Millbrook boys basketball team's 48-43 victory over Broughton Friday night lacked the overtime dramatics of their female counterparts, the Wildcats also fought off a late push to win their Cap-7 Conference opener.
But thanks to a stellar night from senior Tyrrel Tate, who finished with 23 points, Millbrook thwarted the Capitals' comeback attempts.
In what Millbrook head coach Scott McInnes called a "slow and methodical" game, the Wildcats' offense got an early lift from Tate's work on the boards and defense.
Three times in the first quarter, the senior forward put back a Millbrook miss or converted a lay-up off a steal, helping the Wildcats to a 15-11 first-quarter lead.
"He is playing really well right now," McInnes said of Tate. "His defense is getting better. He made plays, making steals and getting his hands on more passes. He's being a lot more active. That's something we are continuing to work on — getting our defense up to where the offense is. And tonight Tate played well on both."
Click here for highlights from the Millbrook/Broughton boys basketball game.
But the Capitals' outside shooting kept them in the game. In fact, four of Broughton's first six made buckets were from long distance.
Broughton also got a lift heading into halftime, thanks to a steal and a late lay-in, tying the game at 24-24.
"Overall, I was happy with how we played, we have to do a few things better. We had a lot of turnovers that led to a lot of easy baskets," McInnes said later.
The Wildcats seized momentum thanks to three big plays midway through the quarter.
First, on an alley-oop attempt to Donzell Hill, the pass sailed a little high, forcing a bad shot, but Tate came swooping in for the finish.
Then Danny Mizerk nailed a three-pointer, putting Millbrook up 32-27. And Shi'Chee Moore followed with his own trey, giving Millbrook a 35-29 lead with 2:20 remaining in the third.
But the Capitals scored the period's final four points, pulling them back into contention.
Despite fourth-quarter offensive woes from both teams — the Wildcats went more than four minutes between baskets — Millbrook closed out the win thanks to Hill and Tate adding lay-ins. And it can't be overlooked that the Wildcats went 5 for 5 from the foul line in the final quarter.
With less than 10 seconds remaining, down three, the Capitals had one last three-point heave, but Millbrook's defenders locked down the perimeter and didn't allow a clean shot.
Moore closed out the game converting two free throws, pushing the Wildcats lead to five with just a tick left on the clock.
Donzell Hill (right) dropped in nine points for the Wildcats Friday.
In addition to Tate's 23 points, Hill added nine, Mizerk tacked on eight and Moore scored five.
While the game's tempo was slower than the Wildcats prefer — and significantly slower than Millbrook's 83-78 "track meet" with Northern Durham three days earlier — McInnes said his squad easily transitioned between the two games.
"They wanted to play a slower game, that's their pace, which is fine," he said. "We can play faster or slower. Whatever you want to do, we'll do it."
With the victory, the Wildcats improve to 6-1 overall, heading into Tuesday's home game against Wakefield (7-1).
"They are playing really well, and they have a lot of size," McInnes said of the Wolverines. "It's going to be a tough test for us."
Three days after meeting with Wakefield, Millbrook travels to Sanderson Friday, Dec. 18.
