Standing at the top of the key and up 58-56 with less than a minute left, Mountain View’s Jayden Minor let his instincts take over.
As the Wilcox defense swarmed to try and force a mistake, Minor evaded multiple Wilcox players and drove to the basket to score, putting his team up four and ensuring a big enough lead to get the Mountain View boys basketball team a 62-60 home win Thursday.
“I knew we had to score, so it’s just a little instinct to me, but I knew there were three [players] coming to me, so I just had to crossover, and then one was in the paint, so then I Eurostepped,” Minor said.
Mountain View coach Kevin Mack has also recognized Minor’s instincts, giving the junior point guard, who started as a sophomore and made varsity as a freshman, the responsibility of running the offense but the freedom to use his creativity.
“His vision is amazing,” Mack said. “He had that when he came in as a freshman. This guy can see the court and see a guy going to be open before they are. I’ve tried to put him in the best positions possible to make those decisions.”
Minor can dribble, pass and shoot, often making difficult shots by protecting the ball using his body. While he honed some of those skills with a trainer, knowing what to do in crucial situations is something no one has taught him.
“I’ve always had that,” Minor said.
While the junior dazzled in the final minute, it was Minor’s third quarter where he showed some of his best decision-making by getting to the rim to finish or to kick it out to the three-point line for a shot. Up 33-30, Minor had three straight assists to give Mountain View its biggest lead of the game at 41-32 and hit two threes near the end of the third quarter to make it 47-42.
“That’s when we are at our best,” Mack said. “When he’s making plays, and I think whether he’s scoring all the time or assisting, if it’s a good mix like that, that’s when we are at our best.”
Minor has been playing since he was four, after his dad introduced him to the sport.
“It’s everything,” Minor said. “I’m trying to play in college, so it’s my passion, and I love it.”
Minor finished with 21 points and often combined on a pick and roll at the top of the key with center Jaden Feller, who finished with 14 points.
“Both of those guys are our two leading scorers,” Mack said. “When one of them is kind of off or having a bad night, the other one steps up, and I think that’s what made us successful in our wins; it’s either both of them or one of them steps up.”
The game started slow, with Wilcox taking a 12-8 lead at the end of the first and forcing Mountain View into pressure situations and a 25% shooting start. Wilcox spent most of the first half forcing the Spartans into a track meet and playing fast with an aggressive press. The Chargers forced six turnovers in the first quarter before Mountain View went 8-15 shooting in the second quarter and took a sudden 28-26 lead at the half.
“I think in that first quarter, even a little part of the second, we got sped up a little bit,” Mack said of the start.
The teams exchanged the lead several times in the fourth quarter before a Cole Palmbush three-pointer gave the Spartans a 58-56 lead with 1:12 left. Palmbush had 12 points, while Tyson Bonilla finished with 22 points for Wilcox. Mack praised the Spartans for hitting big shots at the end and playing their best defense to get the stops needed.
“They played well, and I’m proud of our guys for keeping their composure at the end,” Mack said. “I thought we did a really good job of staying the course and executing when we needed to.”
The Spartans are 4-4 in SCVAL De Anza Division play after beating first-placed Los Gatos in the previous game. Mack hopes the team can run to second or third place before the CCS playoffs. The team had lost three of four before the Los Gatos game. Mountain View has fallen agonizingly short in several close games this year, including an overtime loss against Los Altos after leading late in the fourth quarter and losing by two against Palo Alto in a game they were ahead. Mountain View will play Los Altos away Tuesday (after the Town Crier print deadline) for a chance to move above the Eagles in the standings.
“I think we are hitting our stride, I hope, and we figured out how to finish games maybe three or four weeks ago we couldn’t finish,” Mack said of his team.
