Crosby boys overcome slow start, top Wilby

Kerwin Prince (0) had a monster double-double for Crosby
in the win over Wilby on Wednesday night. Prince finished
with 18 points and a career-high 20 rebounds.
(Copyright, Sports on CT-69)

When Rontay Williams hit a spectacular up-and-under at the buzzer Wednesday night, Wilby had a 20-9 lead over Crosby after one quarter at The Palace.
The Bulldogs quickly erased the Wildcat advantage and had the NVL matchup tied at 30 by halftime. Crosby outscored Wilby 46-33 in the second half and claimed a 76-63 victory. Kerwin Prince led the Bulldogs with 18 points, and he had help from Tyler Spears and Justin Davis, who tallied 15 points apiece. Prince dominated inside with a career-high 20 rebounds. Rahmel Reid came off the bench for 11 points and six assists.
Christian Harris led Wilby with a game-high 34 points. Harris hit on 13 shots, including three 3-pointers. Damien Wade provided a strong effort in the first half, scoring a pair of tough baskets inside. Wade ended up with seven points for the Wildcats.
In the first quarter, Wilby took advantage of Crosby three-point misses and turnovers and raced out to an early lead. Even when Prince made a spectacular block on a fast break near the end of the first quarter, Williams was able to beat the buzzer and end a strong quarter for the Wildcats, who were up 20-9.
Crosby made its move in the second quarter, outscoring Wilby 21-10 to tie the game at 30 by halftime. In the third quarter, the Bulldogs took control with a 28-15 frame. Crosby maintained that 13-point lead in the fourth quarter on the way to the victory.
The Bulldogs shoot a lot of 3-pointers, and there were 29 attempts on Wednesday. Crosby did its biggest damage, however, inside the line. The Bulldogs were 21-of-42 for 50 percent on two-point attempts. Prince was 6-of-13, Davis 4-of-5, Spears 5-of-8, Reid 2-of-5 and Markeese Days 4-of-8. Days also had 11 rebounds, contributing to a 51-board effort by Crosby.
The Bulldogs improved to 6-5 and the Wildcats dropped to 5-6. Neither team is where it wants to be at this point in the season, but both should be working to get better over the last nine regular season games.

VIDEO: Click here to see the footage I took for The Hoop Zone (Waterbury Republican-American).

PHOTOS: Click here to see images I took at the game.