5 takeaways from Wilson basketball’s streak-snapping win over Lincoln
The Wilson High School boys basketball is staking its claim early on as the best team in Tacoma this season after Thursday night’s 64-56 win over the visiting Lincoln Abes. Here are five takeaways from the Rams’ big win.
THE STREAK HAS BEEN SNAPPED
Coming into Thursday night’s game, Lincoln (3-3 overall, 2-2 PCL 3A) had beaten crosstown rival Wilson nine consecutive times. That streak came to an end with Wilson’s (5-0, 4-0) win on Thursday night, much to the delight of Wilson’s senior class.
“It feels great,” said Wilson senior guard Damani Green, who had eight points, five assists, two rebounds and a steal. “We’ve been working all week for this, executing, doing everything we’re supposed to. We’ve been practicing hard. It feels good to come out here and get this win.”
Teammate Emani Mitchell, another senior guard, said it’s something that’s been on the team’s mind this season.
“We’ve been talking about it since the start of this season,” said Mitchell, who scored a team-high 16 points to go along with two assists and one steal. “We came into this game watching film, scouting them, going hard at practice all week. We just had to be as tough or tougher than them. They’re all big, tough players. So we have to match that or be better.”
Wilson coach Mike Cocke, now in his second season with the Rams after spending 10 years as the coach at Foss, wasn’t around for most of those losses. He knows how much the win means to his players, but the bigger emphasis has been trying to be the best team in the city, rather than focusing solely on knocking off Lincoln.
“That was something we came in at the beginning of the season, not beating Lincoln, but winning Tacoma. Being the best team in Tacoma. They took that as, ‘We have to beat Lincoln. We have to beat Mount Tahoma. We have to beat the city schools.’ I’m happy for our seniors.”
IS WILSON THE FAVORITE TO WIN THE 3A PCL?
Lincoln has won the 3A PCL every season since its inception in the 2016-17 school year. But with two league losses so far this season for the Abes, the road is open for another team to take the title. Wilson looks like a frontrunner, but Lakes (6-1, 4-0) is among the teams that will have something to say about that.
“(This win) gives us great confidence,” Mitchell said. “At the end of the day, we have to take it one game at a time.”
RAMS SHARE THE SCORING LOAD
Wilson never trailed in the win and had four players in double digit-scoring on Thursday night, and eight players total who scored.
Mitchell led the way with 16, freshman Cayden McDaniel had 13 off the bench, junior forward Jackson Dorsey scored 10, senior forward Dominique Ellison (11 rebounds, one block, one assist, one steal) scored 10, Green had eight, Juels Krosschell had thee, and Malik Howard (five rebounds, two assists) and Chakari Tindal scored two apiece.
“Nobody can guard us,” Green said. “If I’m scoring one night, I can have 22. Another night, another person has 22. We just have too many weapons. They can’t guard us.”
Mitchell said the balanced attack is a result of the team’s unselfishness with each other.
“Our coach tells us to pass up a good shot for a great shot,” he said. “So if we see an open lane, take it. If we see a person with a better shot, give it to them. Just have a good IQ and be smart with it.”
WILSON FRESHMAN CAYDEN MCDANIEL COULD BE SPECIAL
Cocke originally had the 6-foot-2 guard in the starting lineup this season, but moved him to a sixth-man role, where McDaniel has thrived.
He had 13 points off the bench against Lincoln, also racking up five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.
“As the season went on, I think he does a better job at watching the game and then going in and inserting himself,” Cocke said. “He just does a pretty good job about playing at his pace. You can’t really speed him up and he’s very poised with the basketball.”
Cocke said he’s excited to watch McDaniel continue to develop and adjust to the physicality and pace of high school basketball.
“We see (his skillset) every day at practice,” Cocke said. “If he can keep learning to go faster and go harder at times, he has an opportunity to be pretty good.”
LINCOLN WILL CONTINUE TO IMPROVE
The Abes are replacing four starters from last year’s team, with forward Julien Simon as the lone returning regular starter from that squad.
Expect it to take a little time for the Abes to gel, but there’s plenty to like about this team. Simon, who is transitioning from a deep run into the state playoffs with Lincoln’s football team was held to four points in Thursday’s loss, but some of his floaters and midrange shots will start to fall as the team gets deeper into basketball season.
Junior guard Reggie Archibald scored a game-high 18 points, including three 3-pointers, also adding two assists and a rebound. Junior Durius Bailey scored 13 points and had five rebounds, three steals and two assists. Sophomore guard Parker Androy scored nine and had five rebounds and four assists in the loss. And 6-foot-5 freshman Jayden Clemons-Wayne was away on a football competition and should provide a boost to Lincoln’s squad when he returns.
“Lincoln will be fine,” Cocke said. “They just came off the state semifinal football game. Once they get their legs back, I anticipate just as intense a game over at their place.”
