WATERTOWN — Down just five points with a minute left after implementing a press that got two steals and scores, the Watertown-Mayer boys basketball team had a shot against Southwest Christian in the first round of the Section 5AA playoffs Thursday.
Then a couple shots rimmed out as if seran wrap was on the basket, and the game ended how it was mostly going for the Royals, the close ones just not being converted amid falling to the Stars 57-50.
W-M held Southwest Christian to 57 points and the Royals’ preferred pace — a slow, limited possessions, grind it out style of basketball. The Stars average nearly 75 points a game.
“I think this game was a summary of a lot of our games this season. The kids played hard, the defensive effort was there. We just didn’t get a lot of shots to fall,” head coach Kent Janikula said. “There’s just so little room for error when that happens. It’s always hard to lose on your home floor. We had stretches in the first half where we struggled, but at times we did some things better than they did.”
Those times of positive outcomes were clear and promising. Mitchell Burns played his final game as a Royal and made two three-pointers on his way to 10 points while tallying at least three blocks. His presence was felt on both ends in a game that badly needed his production; he gave it everything he had.
“It’s not easy as a senior when a lot of accolades are going to younger guys,” Janikula said of Burns. “But that was never an issue for him. He was pretty consistent and versatile for us late in the game.”
Sophomore John Mueller scored a team-high 18 and Albert Rundell had 13 points, while point guard Wyatt McCabe contributed eight. That trio returns to the starting lineup next season and it’s safe to assume they’ll be hungry to improve. Sophomore Justin Kind also saw lots of minutes off the bench for a team that came in with very little varsity experience. They’ve got it under their belts now, during a pandemic-riddled season, no less.
“It’s nice to have some building blocks,” Janikula said. “Hopefully we’ll have a somewhat normal summer; I don’t think we had our top 10 guys together for more than a day or two. But we have some gym rats and multi-sport athletes. It is encouraging to see the young guys learn and grow on the job.”
Despite the disappointing loss, the eight seniors all brought something to the table on and off the court, and there’s lots still in the cupboard for the Royals. What they owned this seaosn more than skill was synergy as a team, something that will pay off in the long run.
“They had a really good sense of chemistry. With a lot of different grade levels playing together, they got along,” Janikula said. “In terms of the pecking order and knowing roles, this might be the best group I’ve had. There were rarely any issues about that. It’s not always like that. It was nice that when we made changes, the kids were flexible. They understood their roles.”
Those roles will expand next season for Mueller, Rundell, McCabe and company, an 8-10 season now headed in the rearview mirror and hopefully a full 26-game regular season slate ahead.
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Follow Jared Martinson on Twitter: @JaredNHR