Sometimes you need a get-right game.

Mount Vernon boys’ basketball doubled up West Delaware 72-36 on Tuesday, Jan. 28, to stop a two-game losing skid.

The Mustangs, who started 8-0 in WaMaC play, had dropped road games at Marion and Solon the previous week.

“We got together as a team and talked about stuff,” senior center Joe Briesemeister said. “We just had a few things to work out. We’ve had guys hurt, and guys sick. We tried to get everybody back together and on the same page.”

It was clear things were working. Mount Vernon built a 52-15 halftime advantage over the Hawks. The Mustangs had no turnovers in the first two quarters.

And the Mustangs put an exclamation point on a dominating half when junior Kellen Haverback, leading a fast break, passed the ball off the backboard to a leaping Briesemeister, who dunked it home.

“We’ve practiced it two or three times, and we had the opportunity,” Briesemeister said. “I called ‘backboard’ ahead to him, and he put it in the perfect spot for me, and it went down.”

Coach Derek Roberts credited the dominant first half to defense. The Hawks had 14 turnovers and shot just 5 for 20.

“It is always defense, for us,” Roberts said. “We came out tense, moving well, anticipating. Our guys really put in the work in practice.

“As a team we did a good job of taking care of the basketball and looking for each other. Share the sugar. Basketball is pretty fun when you do that.”

Briesemeister finished with a team-high 19 points, all in the first half.

Haverback added 12 points, and Brogan Meyer had 10 off the bench.

The good times, didn’t last, however, as the Mustangs lost Friday, Jan. 31, to Center Point-Urbana, 82-76 in triple overtime.

Now Mount Vernon (12-4, 9-3) is just a half-game ahead of CPU and Solon in the Wamac East.

That’s with six games to go. That includes a Saturday, Feb. 8, trip to Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines to take on Fort Madison in a non-conference game, and a Wamac cross-division game against Clear Creek Amana on Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“Those games are in the past,” Briesemeister said of the losses. “We learn from them and move on. We’ve had a few rough games, but everyone has rough games. We’re working, and trying to get some momentum going into the postseason.”

West Delaware (36) – Seth Jackson 2-5 1-2 5, Keagan Jackson 0-2 0-0 0, Levi Wilson-Bries 1-4 0-0 3, Griffin Lott 2-4 0-0 5, Paul Beswick 2-6 1-2 6, Clark Morris 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Schnieders 0-5 0-0 0, Keaton Emerson 2-5 0-0 5, Tate Wilson-Bries 1-1 0-0 3, Kyle Pasker 1-1 0-0 2, Ben Palas 1-1 0-0 2, Payton Deutmeyer-Burkle 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 13-36 2-4 36.

Mount Vernon (72) – Luke Rushford 2-5 1-2 6, Cole Thurn 4-7 0-0 8, Kellen Haverback 5-12 0-0 12, Joe Briesemeister 9-12 1-2 19, Seth Rushford 3-5 2-2 9, Stratton Ellyson 2-3 2-2 8, Brogan Meyer 5-6 0-0 10, Landon Wilson 1-1 0-0 2 Jayden Scieszinski 0-0 0-0 0, Chcarlie Weldon 1-1 0-0 2, Leo Tharp 0-0 0-0 0, Lewis Krob 0-1 0-0 0, Logan Stanerson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-49 6-8 72.

West Delaware 12 3 9 12 — 36

Mount Vernon 23 29 14 6 — 72

3-point goals – WD 6-17 (S.Jackson 0-1, K.Jackson 0-1, L.Wilson-Bries 1-3, Lott 1-1, Beswick 1-4, Schnieders 0-2, Emerson 1-3, T.Wilson-Bries 1-1, Deutmeyer-Burkle 1-1), MV 6-14 (S.Rushford 1-3, Thurn 0-1, Haverback 2-3, Briesemeister 0-1, S.Rushford 1-2, Ellyson 2-3, Krob 0-1). Rebounds – WD 17 (L.Wilson-Bries 4), MV 29 (Haverback 5, S.Rushford 5, Meyer 5). Turnovers – WD 20, MV 10. Total fouls – WD 12, MV 10.