Whether it is geared toward the Christmas season or not, Kellen Haverback and the Mount Vernon boys’ basketball team has a motto it tries to live by.
Share the sugar.
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, there was plenty of sweetness to go around as Mount Vernon beat Solon, 54-40, to stay undefeated at 5-0.
“Share the sugar,” Haverback said. “Everyone has to eat.”
Even if everyone gets a gingerbread cookie, some Mustangs get the whole gingerbread house. Haverback had 18 points and senior post Joe Briesemeister led the way with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
“We’ve got to get the ball to Joe,” Haverback said. “There’s not many guys with that type of frame.”
More important than sharing the sugar, was keeping the sweets away from the Spartans (3-2).
The Mount Vernon pressure defense frustrated Solon early and often.
Then Luke Rushford and Haverback hit back-to-back 3-pointers to start the second quarter, and extend the Mustang lead to ten, 15-5.
“It is tough playing from behind, knowing you’ve got to make plays,” Solon senior Caleb Bock said. “We just didn’t make enough plays.”
The Spartans cut the lead down to five late in the second quarter, but a pair of buckets from Briesemeister – one off an entry pass from Seth Rushford and the other on an offensive putback — pushed the lead to 25-16 at halftime.
Solon never got closer the rest of the game.
“Their pressure affected how we wanted to play offense,” Solon Coach Jared Galpin said. “It is a lesson that we’re learning as a young team, how to develop some consistency.”
Mount Vernon closed the pre-holiday portion of the schedule with a trip to West Delaware on Friday, Dec. 20, and a longer trip to Northridge Prep in Niles, Ill.
The Mustangs beat the Hawks 61-57.
Mount Vernon took a 35-17 lead by halftime, then held on.
Haverback led the attack with 28 points – including 6 of 10 from deep — to go with five assists and four steals. Briesemeister had 10 points.
The trip to Chicago for the inaugural Illinois vs. Iowa Border Battle resulted in a 56-26 win and a 7-0 record.
“I think it is really cool (to be undefeated),” Haverback said. “We’re going game by game, but it is hard not to look at the big picture, because everyone does it.
“Every night, if you are 1-0, you are going to win a lot of games. If we keep that mindset, we can keep winning.”
MOUNT VERNON 54, SOLON 40
Solon (40) – Isaiah Zoske 2-5 2-2 7, Caleb Beck 6-9 0-3 12, Nolan Seagren 1-8 0-0 3, Maddox Kelley 2-6 0-2 5, Tanner Heims 1-4 0-0 2, Grant Gordon 1-3 2-2 4, Jackson Link 1-5 0-0 2, Simon Einwalter 0-2 1-2 1, Kaden Hoeper 1-3 0-0 2, Tyler Greazel 1-2 0-0 2, Eddie Johnson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-47 5-10 40.
Mount Vernon (54) – Luke Rushford 1-5 2-2 5, Cole Thurn 2-3 0-0 4, Kellen Haverback 8-18 0-0 18, AJ McDermott 1-2 0-0 2, Joe Briesemeister 9-14 6-7 24, Brogan Meyer 0-1 0-0 0, Seth Rushford 0-3 1-2 1, Maddox Thede 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-46 9-10 54.
Solon 5 11 9 15 – 40
Mount Vernon 9 16 11 18 – 54
3-point goals – Solon 3-17 (Zoske 1-3, Bock 0-1, Seagren 1-4, Kelley 1-4, Gordon 0-1, Link 0-2, Hoeper 0-1, Greazel 0-1), MV 3-18 (L.Rushford 1-3, Haverback 2-9, Briesemeister 0-3, S.Rushford 0-3). Rebounds – Solon 29 (Gordon 5, Link 5), MV 34 (Briesemeister 12). Turnovers – Solon 16, MV 16. Fouls – Solon 15, MV 14. Fouled out – Zoske.