It was a mighty tough ending to an otherwise successful season.
The Pillow Academy Mustangs lost 67-43 to Simpson Wednesday in the first round of the State AAAA Tournament — ending their season at 15-11.
The Mustangs won the District 1-AAAA conference with a 6-0 record and came on strong in the second half of the season. But that likely won’t ease the pain of three straight defeats to end the season — two straight in the North AAAA Tournament and then the lopsided loss to Simpson.
“I am very proud of my team this season. What they did was bigger than basketball. They started a change of culture of what Pillow boys basketball is,” PA coach Wes Prather said.
Against Simpson, the top seed from the South, PA played well enough on the defensive end in the first half, but everything on the offensive side was a complete struggle against Simpson’s smothering full-court pressure and 2-3 zone defense. The Mustangs had more first-half turnovers — 14 — than it did total points.
Simpson (31-6) led 17-7 at the end of the first period. PA had eight turnovers and seven points in the first eight minutes.
The closest the Mustangs got in the second half was a six-point deficit, 18-12, following a 3-pointer from senior Shane Houston Stephens. But the Cougars outscored the Mustangs 10-0 the remainder of the second quarter.
Simpson then outscored the Mustangs 20-13 in the third to put the game out of reach.
Stephens paced PA with 23 points to cap off a stellar prep career. Jack Reichle had 10.
nContact Bill Burrus at 581-7237 or bburrus@gwcommonwealth.com. Follow on Twitter:@Bill_Burrus.
