Mott sophomore Jamal Reynolds scored 14 points with 12 rebounds against Jackson Wednesday night. (Gerry Leslie photo)
FLINT, Michigan โ Welcome to Flint, Jamal Reynolds. For the first time this season, Mott fans caught a glimpse of the athletic, energetic and high-impact transfer they had been expecting since day one. Jamal Reynolds, a bouncy 6-5 small forward from Toronto, turned in his best performance of the season as Mott crushed Jackson Wednesday night, 101-64.
Reynolds came off the bench to score 14 points on eight shot attempts with 12 rebounds and four assists. He turned heads not long after he entered the contest for the first time, driving the baseline for a right-handed slam. His performance all but assures him some more tick as the season progresses.
Malik Albert, Mottโs leading scorer in every game this season, led the team with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Albert, who had been averaging 31 points per game, had the play of the game in the second half. The uber-athletic 6-2 combo guard got loose on a breakaway and took a defender with him for a thunder dunk and one.
Mott (6-1) led by 22 points in the first half before Albert and the starters took a rest in the halfโs final few minutes. Jackson was able to cut into the lead to trail by 17 at the break. Mott added to its lead in the second half, in spite of an awful shooting performance from the free throw line. The Bears, for the second time this season, actually shot better from the field (61 percent) than from the charity stripe (49 percent).
Mott sophomore Myles Busby turned in another impressive all-around performance. The rangy stat stuffer scored 11 points with six rebounds, four steals and two assists. Ruston Hayward and Chester McFadden added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Jackson (4-3), for the bulk of the game, suffered at its own hand with lackluster shot selection. The Jets attempted nine shots from beyond the arc in the second half alone, and failed to make one. The team shot 32 percent from the field in the game.
Jackson was led by guard JaiernHunt who scored 14 points with four steals.
Mott has a week to prepare to make amends for the lone blemish on its record this season. The Bears will host Lansing next Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. The Bears lost to the Stars in Lansing two weeks ago on a rebound put-back as time expired.