Unguardable Edwards leads Matadors to win

SPRING VALLEY – The Mount Miguel Matadors defeated the visiting Bonita Vista Barons  79-63 to complete the sweep of a girls-boys doubleheader on Wednesday night.

Mount Miguel’s Marquise Edwards led all scorers with 34 points, getting to the basket at will in a dominating performance against a Division II opponent.

“He can get to the basket any time he wants to,” Matador head coach Jay Rowlett said of the Edwards’ game. “The only one who can stop Marquise is Marquise. He can score the basketball so we’re lucky to have him.”

Like the girls’ game, this game looked like it was going to come down to the final minute. Mount Miguel started fast, finishing the first quarter with a lead of 26-11.

Mount Miguel junior DOMINIC MORALES lets a shot fly on Wednesday night. 

Early in the third quarter, the game was all tied up as the Barons (3-1) would not go away.

“We lost our gas,” Rowlett said. “We started off hot so you know we were going to cool down eventually. That’s just how basketball works. They made a good run but in the last quarter we hit some big shots and got some big stops.”

In the third, Edwards made a LeBron-esque block but landed hard on the floor which led to him missing a few minutes of action. Senior Lawrence Gray took charge, scoring on the following two possessions, while his teammate shook off the injury.

“I don’t know what it is but when Marquise goes down or is in foul trouble the need for scoring is needed so I feel like it’s my job to pick that up as the next scorer on the team,” Gray said.

“We can count on him at times like that,” Edwards said of Gray. “If I’m out or any player is out we should be able to rely on any of our players to come in and produce. It’s nothing new to me. He came in and did what he was supposed to do.”

The Matadors, despite having only two returners from the previous season, are undefeated at 5-0 and playing good basketball. Gray, as happy as he is with the start, knows his team still has a lot of work to do.

“I’m happy we’re starting out strong. But I know when it comes to the season, especially in our last year, it’s not how we start it’s how we finish,” Gray said. “I feel like we have a strong start and as long as we can keep it going I don’t think anybody can stop us.”

No one has been able to stop, or even slow down these Matadors. One major reason is Edwards. When asked why he has been so successful his senior year, he simply answered, “Nobody can guard me.”

Mount Miguel will welcome in San Diego High Saturday night. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.