The Mehlville boys basketball team improved to 8-9 with a 64-35 win on Jan. 23 over STEAM Academy at McCluer South-Berkeley.

Head coach Daniel Braun felt the Panthers performed well despite poor ball handling early on in the game.

“Overall, I feel like we played well,” Braun said. “We had a few too many turnovers early, but cleaned that up throughout the game. We did a good job of attacking offensively and creating open looks for ourselves and teammates.”

Braun said he was happy with the play of his squad on defense.

“Defensively I was proud of the pressure we put on the other team and making them uncomfortable,” he said. “This was one of our best team rebounding games in a while, which has been a vital stat for us.”

Individually, Brady Sights led the way with 14 points. Mirsad Velic added 10 points in the victory.

Braun was impressed with the play of a few other players on the team as well.

“Our two guards, Marcus Jacobs and Jordan Hannam-Lewis, also had great games,” he said. “They combined for seven steals and made the opposing guards uncomfortable all night. Offensively, they took what was available to them without forcing the issue too much.”

Both finished with eight points.

With the large margin of victory, Braun was able to get some players in who may not see the court as much in a varsity contest, which is important for the future of the program.

“It’s always great to get everybody involved,” Braun said. “We had 13 players get in the game, and all contributed on the stat sheet. These guys all compete like crazy in practice. I’m never surprised when we can stretch our rotation and the success continues, because they show it every day that they belong.”

On Jan. 29 – after The Call went to press – Mehlville will face Ladue. The Rams have a 16-1 record. Braun said the team will have a challenging matchup against a very good Ladue team.

“Ladue is one of the best teams in the area and will be a tough test,” he said. “To be successful against a team like that, you have to stay disciplined and committed to your principals. You have to stay engaged and together as a team so that when things don’t go your way, you can refocus and continue to battle together.”