Like Mike...

...If I could be like Mike.

On a night where The Reignmakers were down a man, their big man ailing with a foot injury, their energy man battling hand and chest problems, their backup big man still growing into the team and getting his legs back, and the leading scorer shooting under 25% from the field...they needed a hero.

Mike Petrilli.

The point guard has been struggling of late making only 2 of his 12 shots from distance, but he stepped up in a game where the team needed him most.

Leading after a defensive-minded, or better yet, offensively-challenged, first half 17-14, Petrilli had nearly half (8) of the teams points connecting on two of the three attempts from the arc. Petrilli kept it up down the stretch hitting on one huge three with on 5 seconds left. The shot came with the Reignmakers down one with less than thirty seconds in regulation.

"The ball movement on the last play of the game created that shot." Coach Hunter said afterwards. "We were relaxed, didn't force anything, and Mike was open on the swing. We count on him to make more than he misses. He got off the schnide tonight if you will. We needed that tonight and it was great to see him do what he does best."

Then with a smile, "He needs to work on those free throws still."

Petrilli did miss on both his free throw attempts on the night, leaving him an "oh-for" on the year. But his last miss from the stripe was tipped out by the veteran big man in the middle Kerry Hunter and that sealed the deal.

The big Hunter should not be left off of this write up. Battling through some foot injuries and wearing specially designed insoles to give him more comfort, the vet poured in 16 points, grabbed 12 boards and had his best night of the short season. He made four of his five free throw attempts and shot 75% from the field.

Once again working against two big men inches taller and 50 plus pounds heavier, the big man did the dirty work.

"Big game. Big game by Mike and Kerry both. He (Kerry) will need to rest throughout the week, he and the trainers think it might be a good idea to let him off of practice for a few days due to the foot problems. He deserves it. Plantar fasciitis is nothing to scoff at, and could really hinder us and him if he needed to rest. We will take it day by day. But he played great, the and-one in the middle of the battle was huge. He needed a day like tonight. They both did."

Then another smile, "He needs to work on those three pointers though."

Yes the big man did miss his only three point attempt of the night, leaving him 1 of 7 on the year, but he presence is felt on the court and on the bench. They leave it to him to draw up the big plays down the stretch. It's a value to have someone on a young team such as the Reignmakers.

The game looked like it was getting away late in the second half. They found themselves down by six, the Richfield Hicks hitting three straight three pointers, and only 5 minutes to play. But great defense late in the game, bothering shooters inside and getting into the face's of their three point scorers eased the tension on the other end of the floor. The Reignmakers got layups and easy shots and Petrilli's big shot with time nearly expired.

After calling a timeout, the Hicks faltered with good defense by Jason Hunter. Bringing the ball up the court with less than 5 seconds left, two Hicks players bumped, giving Hunter the opportunity to put even more pressure on. The Hicks point gaurd dribbled it off his leg turning the ball over.

It wasn't a pretty night shooting wise, but the Reignmakers got their offense where they needed it and hit the big shots when they counted. It is the kind of game that puts confidence in your teammates and yourselves as a collective unit.

The Reignmakers are now 3-0, tied for tops in their division and play the Kings next Monday, who were 1-1 as of this writing.

With their scoring point guard back on track and their big man rolling with momentum, let's look for a collective offensive effort next week.

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be....like Mike.