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Show - - - .-..-.-. . . . . Miners split two, gain in confidence by Jim Fleming Character can be defined as the willingness to continue against adversity. The Park City Miners showed character Saturday night. The Miners were pitted against one of the better Division 1 teams in the state, the Mount Vernon Patriots. The Patriots, although sporting a record of only 7-5, had most recently defeated Dugway, the 5th-ranked Al team in the state, by 28 points. The Patriots are a well-disciplined, good rebounding team, with a tenacious full court press. Don't think Park City Coach Paul Willard wasn't aware of that. After an intense game, involving solid play, the Miners succumbed 52-47. But Park City never trailed by more than 8, and consistently came within two field goals. "We played well, It was one of our most complete games against one of the best teams in the division. It was a 3 point game not 7," WiHard said afterwards. He singled out Bruce Buckner, who had 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Greg King, who had J 2 points and handled the defensive pressure skillfully. Matt Mapstone followed with 11 points. Mount Vemon was led by 6'3" David Mortley with 17 points. Michael Lambson contributed con-tributed 15. The Miners trailed by only four, 25-21 at the half. It was clear to those few in attendance that they had a good chance for a win. They had handled the defensive pressure, while showing an excellent defense of their own. The second half opened with the Miners struggling to box out the MW Patriots on defense and unable to score on offense. Nevertheless, Mapstone hung in the lane for two as Park City closed the gap to 34-29 at the third quarter buzzer. With four minutes left in the game, the Miners closed to within 3 on a steal by King and a foliowup basket by Buckner. Tiie Miners began to control the defensive boards (Tatumhad 10 rebounds) and appeared to be making a run. However, Tatum and Buckner fouled out late in the game. The Patriots converted free throws, and the Miners had to pack it up. Friday night was a different story. Against North Rich, the doormat of the league, Park City cruised to a 62-54 win. In case you missed it, the varsity game was moved up to 5:15 because of 45 below zero temperatures temp-eratures in North Rich territory. Park City was led by balanced scoring. Mapstone had 15, Buckner 14, King 12, and Tatum 11. Willard credited the victory to smart play. The Miners never trailed and shot 22-28 from the line a great improvement over their seasonal 55 percent. While the free throw percentage was up, the number of turnovers was down. Willard said the Miners committed only 10 against North Rich and 15 againt Mount Vernon. "Both teams tried to press us, but the press didn't bother us at all," he said. Willard has introduced a new standard for the Miners to measure themselves against: a 70 percent success rate at the free throw line and 15 turnovers per game. For every free throw below 70 percent, the team has to run a lap around the gym. For every turnover over 15, the same penalty applies. WM ' .. " ) v f i ; 7 1 : i I . : ftfor I Lt i I J ' j O i r xA ii I' ft i I J - 1 S ( ft" "' v T y, t- ; 1 l ! 8 M- i I I r-': I Scott Tatum fires an off-balance jumper over Mount Vernon's Dave Mortley. i),,sbJ (,1)us But there's also an incentive clause in the new rule. For every turnover under 15, the team gets to watch the coach run a lap. The rule was in effect for the North Rich game. "So I ran my five laps last night," Willard smiled. "They'll do anything to make a coach run." The Miners' encouraging play last weekend came in spite of the absence of sophomore forward Todd Mullen, out with a twisted ankle. Mullen may also miss Friday's trip to Kamas when Park City gets a rematch against South Summit With or without Mullen, the Miners have a point to prove. When the teams last met Jan. 4. South Summit won 66-31. The record of the Park City varsity stands at 2-3 in league, 4-7 overall. The team has now equalled the win total of last year's (4-14) team. Meanwhile, the Park City junior varsity saw its record fall to 5-5 Saturday with a 47-43 loss to Mount Vernon. Coach Willard relays strategy to senior guard Kric Olsen. |