Red-hot South Colts best Central Wildcats in battle for top spot in S-CL

The Pueblo South Colts defeated the Wildcats of Central High School 55-31 Tuesday evening at the Southwest Motors Event Center in front of a ecstatic crowd.

Both teams entered the matchup on five-game winning streaks, but a cold shooting night from Central coupled with a tremendous defensive effort from the Colts and some timely buckets from their leader Maurice Austin earned South the victory, and more importantly, a one-game lead in the South-Central League standings.

It may be early in league play, but the outcome could play a significant role in determining who winds up league champions at the end of the regular season.

Central's game plan puts Colts on the ropes early

The first half was a feeling-out process for both teams. The Wildcats seemed to have the Colts in shock in the first half, surprising them with a triangle-style offense they hadn't run before.

“We weren't quite sure what Central was going to come out and do and I think they threw something out there that was pretty effective for a couple of possessions there in the first,” South head coach Shannan Lane said.

“They are a well-coached team, they get up after you. We knew we were going to have to break the press and we were kind of ready for that, but we weren't ready for the triangle-and-two, so that was good we were able to make some adjustments at halftime.”

The Wildcats had good looks all night long but had arguably their worst shooting performance of the season. The team made a season-low three 3-point baskets and missed some wide-open drives to the lane. In the second half, when the Colts made some adjustments and started to cut off the middle of the court, the Wildcats were forced into shooting perimeter shots that weren’t falling.

“In that second half, defensively we just had more help,” Austin said. “We know they wanted to go middle, so we had to cut that off. Honestly, it was kind of the same (as the first half) we just didn't execute in the first half like we did in the second half and that's what's big.”

In the end, the Colts went on two scoring streaks in the second and third quarters to extend the lead to 20 points. With about three minutes left in the game, most of the starters had been pulled by both sides, as both coaches began to reset and plan for their next opponents. With a final score of 55-31, the Colts held the Wildcats to season lows in points and shots made.

More:Pueblo South's Esquivel leans on teammates to overcome challenges on and off the court

Colts victorious despite slow night for Austin

Austin had what he would consider an off night on the court, scoring only 20 points. which still led all scorers.

However, his scoring was not as efficient as he would have liked. The Colts' leading scorer on the season knows that his team relies on him to score, but Tuesday's game emphasized the importance of the whole team performing: teammates Mateo Esquivel and Desmond Floyd stepped up to share the scoring load for South, with Esquivel scoring 15 and Floyd tying his season high with 9 points.

When Austin's teammates draw the opposing team's attention, it frees him up to do what he does best.

“I just got to thank my teammates,” Austin said. “They make big shots and they get me open. Honestly, I can't do any of this stuff without them and they just help me big time. We are not a one-man team, a two-man, or a three-man team. We are all 10 men together on a team."

While South is happy for the win and the one-game advantage in the S-CL, there are still plenty of games remaining to determine who'll emerge as this season's champs.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Lane said. “They struggled from the 3-point line and they got some shots up and fortunately for us, they didn't make those. They make those threes and it's a different ball game, and so I'm sure they'll be ready the second time we play them.”

“Going through the league, Central is always a big game just because it's just two South Side schools,” she said. “I think we enjoy the competition but we don't make it any bigger than it is against County or West or anybody like that, it's just another game and we have another whole round here of league.”

To maintain their winning streak, the Colts know that they'll need to improve their shooting.

“We, for sure, have got to shoot a lot better,” Austin said. “Other than that, we just got to come back and work tomorrow. We just got to keep doing what we're doing and we got to be ready for them.”

More:Pueblo Central's Jordan Atencio dedicating senior wrestling season to best friend's memory

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter: @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: South defense stifles Wildcats en route to 55-31 win in boys basketball