Plymouth rallies from ice-cold start to upend P-CEP rival
It’s too early to tell if the Plymouth boys basketball team’s dramatic 56-52 victory over Salem Thursday night will be a season-saver.
There’s little doubt, though, it will be one the Wildcats will savor — at least for the short term.
Plymouth shook off a blustery first quarter when it scored just four points to rally for a much-needed road triumph against a team that was just as hungry for a win.
The Wildcats were paced by senior starter Idrys Cotton (14 points and 11 rebounds) and junior reserve Ali Hider, who was an electric charge off the bench, netting a team-high 15 points, which included a clutch three-point shot down the stretch.
Peters shines again
Salem senior guard Ryan Peters was spectacular in defeat, scoring 27 points (despite drawing extra attention from Wildcat defenders) — 14 in the fourth quarter on four threes and two free throws.
After Peters nailed a triple with 90 seconds to play to bring the Rocks to within 47-45, Cotton countered with an and-one bucket and free throw (sophomore Zerry Rue split two free throws) to extend Plymouth’s lead to 51-45.
Following a defensive stop by Plymouth, Hider knocked two freebies to make it 53-45; however, the Peters-powered Rocks pulled to within 55-52 on his driving layup with 17.1 seconds left.
A Rue free throw allowed the ‘Cats to regain a four-point lead, 56-52, then Rue — who had recently been promoted to varsity after playing mostly on the Wildcats’ junior varsity team — swiped the ball from Peters to seal the win.
“Any win for us is a big win,” said Andrew Meeuwsen, when asked how he felt following a hard-fought triumph over a Plymouth-Canton Educational Park rival. “We’ve lost a lot of tough games, so we needed a win bad. We haven’t been able to finish games, so it was nice to be able to finish tonight.”
Versatile for a big guy
Meeuwsen marveled at Cotton’s mobility, decision-making and overall basketball savvy given he’s 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds.
“Idrys played point guard in middle school, before he grew to his current size, and it shows the way he handles the ball and feeds his teammates,” Meeuwsen said. “He’s one of our team leaders in assists. And when he gets the ball down low, he’s a load for the defense to handle.”
Hider started one game for Plymouth before transition to a reserve role — one he has embraced and run with.
Junior achiever
The junior displayed top-shelf ball-handling skills and the confidence it takes to attempt big shots in crunch-time.
“I thank my teammates for building my confidence,” Hider said. “Some guys come off the bench and they’re a little sluggish, but thanks to our coach and the rest of the guys, everybody in the rotation plays with energy.
“If one of our starters gets in foul trouble, we know it’s next man up.”
P-CEP wins are sweet
Hider said it’s always nice to beat Canton and Salem, whose players he sees daily while attending classes at the three-high-school campus.
“It feels good, seeing them tomorrow knowing we have bragging rights at least for a few days,” Hider said. “But we play them again, so we know not to let our egos get ahead of us.
“This was a team effort tonight, no doubt about it.”
Sophomore Mack Swafford and Rue both chipped in with seven points for the winners, while junior Cam Short added six in addition to several vital hustle plays.
Peters was phenomenal as he added 10 rebounds — most on never-quit follow-ups — to go with his 27 points.
No time to rest
Salem’s next-highest scorer was Aydin Saiyed, who tallied eight.
Both teams are back in action Friday: Plymouth hosts Northville while Salem travels to Howell.
“Hopefully, we can keep building off this win,” Meeuwsen said.
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
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