Wilson's struggles continue in loss

FISHERSVILLE – With four minutes left in the third quarter, Wilson Memorial’s boys basketball team looked locked, loaded and ready to shoot out of its funk.

Then the bottom fell out and two old, yet familiar, enemies reared their heads – shot selection and lack of defense – as Wilson Memorial lost its second straight game in front of a home crowd, this time to Nelson County 54-47, in non-district action Friday.

“I don’t know,” said a visibly frustrated Wilson coach Rodney Cullen. “Just no consistency.”

Down by 11 midway through the third, the Green Hornets’ Hunter Cullen nailed a 3, Josh Miller followed on the next trip down the court with a seeing-eye pass to Jason Cappo for an easy layup and Cullen followed with another long-distance shot – this time in the eye of Nelson County’s Quincy Murphy.

Miller added a layup and, as the third quarter ended, what started as a 33-22 deficit for Wilson was now only two points with the Governors leading 35-32.

The Hornets’ (1-2, 0-0 Shenandoah) inconsistent play was never more evident Friday night than in a fourth quarter that was there for the taking.

With Nelson County missing shots and Wilson Memorial’s helter-skelter defense reappearing to close off the lane and keep the open looks away from the hot-shooting Trevor Martin, the Hornets once again sliced into the Governors’ lead.

After four straight free throws from Hunter Cullen and Josh Miller, and a Hunter Cullen putback, Wilson found itself down 44-40 with 3:15 left to play and momentum clearly on its side. But on the next four Wilson trips down the court, the Hornets forced shots and Nelson ripped off a 7-0 run – capped by a Martin layup — to make it 51-40.

The Hornets would never recover, forced into sending the Govs to the free-throw line where Nelson, after struggling from the charity-stripe all night, finally found its groove – hitting 4 of 8 down the stretch.

“We haven’t spent much time at practice [on free throws],” said Nelson coach Brandon Garrett. “But we made them when it counted.”

The Govs, coming off their first state championship in school history, also hit the 3s when it mattered thanks to Martin’s hot hand.

Martin, a sophomore, hit five 3s on the night – including three in the first quarter – to finish with a team-high 23 points.

“I just tried to contribute to the team,” Martin said. “I just do what I got to do.”

Hunter Cullen finished with a game-high 25 points for Wilson, but no other Hornet finished with double-digits. Miller’s seven and Cappo’s six were the only ones close.

In a pin-drop silent coach’s office, Rodney Cullen lamented his team’s lost opportunities.

“We would be doing good and the next thing you know we’re just firing up the first 3-point shot that looked halfway open,” he said. “And the next thing we know, [the Governors] got the lead again.

“We just have to keep plugging along and keep working.”

Wilson is back in action Monday when they host Parry McCluer.