Mustangs Overcome Slow Start to Crush Village Christian

The Muir boys basketball team overcame a stagnant first quarter to overwhelm and dominate Village Christian 67-38 in the first round of the La Cañada Holiday Classic on Tuesday night at La Cañada High School.

Muir improved to 2-1 on the young season with the win.

The Mustangs were led by junior guard Dion Nelson, who scored 15 points and dished out four assists. Senior swingman Deshawn Hayes added 20 points, while junior Tevin Polk led Muir with seven boards.

 "We started out a little slow and we were really concerned with their zone defense," Muir coach Gamal Smalley said. "It helped slow the tempo and it was a big concern for us."

The zone defense employed by Village Christian kept the Mustangs from breaking out into the open floor and utilizing their potent transition game. Smallay has said previously that his squad relies on its quickness and athleticism to get buckets, and early on Village Christian's strategy prevented Muir from establishing any offensive rhythm.

But after getting outscored 17-14 in the first quarter, the Mustangs figured out the zone defense. And once they had figured out how to beat the Crusaders, it was game over. Muir outscored Village Christian 53-21 in the final three quarters.

The Mustangs controlled the boards in the second quarter to offset the zone defense and ignite their scoring.

"That was the key," Smalley said. "We needed to crash the boards because they have a real good big man, who is very agile and talented."

The Crusaders' Marquis Salmon was their lone bright spot as he led his team in scoring with 13 points.

The Mustangs took a slim 27-24 lead into halftime but came out on a mission and ran passed Village Christian in the second half as Nelson caught fire.

"Dion (Nelson) is a shooter and we knew sooner or later he would have a breakout game; we hoped it was sooner than later," Smalley said. "When he has his rhythm he's one of the most deadly shooters in the Valley."

Smalley also singled out Hayes' performance against Village Christian.

 "Deshawn (Hayes) is a hustle player," he said. "He scores his points on hustle plays. We usually say he comes to the parking lot with 18 points. He was very patient today I was impressed with his maturity and leadership."

Muir faces tournament host La Cañada on Wednesday.

"La Cañada is a powerhouse in our area," Smalley said. "It's challenging to play these types of teams."