Wright helps Beacons top Bears for 1st time in nearly 5 years

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Jan. 2—All Wright was an eighth grader the last time Valparaiso defeated Missouri State in a men’s basketball game. Now, he is a freshman for the Beacons and helped them to outlast the Bears 73-72 on Wednesday night inside Great Southern Bank Arena in Springfield, Missouri.

It marked Valpo’s first win over MSU since March of 2020.

Wright went on a spree over the span of three minutes scoring or assisting on 13 straight points for Valpo (8-6, 1-2 MVC) to take a 46-40 lead to a 59-50 advantage.

“It was amazing. Especially to get our first conference win right here in Springfield, close to my hometown,” Wright said. “It means a lot. I feel like I was able to show out for my home crowd.

“I was just taking what the defense was giving me. The first half was a little slow for me but came out in the second half, stayed ready, shots came my way and I just knocked them down.”

That he did. The former Joplin Eagle shot 6 for 8 overall in the game and 4 for 5 in the second half. He knocked down his only 3-point attempt and was 1 for 2 on free throws.

Wright was on the court for all but about two minutes of the second half as head coach Roger Powell Jr. showed the trust he has in his point guard in a tight game from start to finish.

“I’ve given him it. He’s earned it. He’s a leader. He’s going to be a staple for our program. He’s going to be a special player in The Valley (Missouri Valley Conference) and he’s going to be a special player at Valpo,” Powell said. “I see it in him. He has that type of confidence. One of my things as a coach is to let your players be great. I know he’s young, but, he’s well ahead of his years.”

Part of what Powell is speaking about “giving” to Wright is the ability for the freshman to lead huddles during timeouts. Wright could be seen talking vehemently to his teammates after a timeout. More than once, he was expressing his thoughts from the game on what the team should do.

“My guys trust me and I really believe in my guys so I just try to give them every little…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wright-helps-beacons-top-bears-114600444.html

Author : The Joplin Globe, Mo.

Publish date : 2025-01-02 11:46:00

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