Aberdeen boys basketball shows lesson learned in 77-68 win over rival C. Milton Wright

Not this time.

The Aberdeen boys basketball team learned a valuable lesson from its first meeting against Harford County rival C. Milton Wright this season.

For the host Eagles, there would be no relinquishing an early advantage Tuesday night like they did last time. Senior guard Tylan Bass was the catalyst and received plenty of help from his teammates, who were all determined to play the second half on their terms.

Bass scored a game-high 27 points, leading four players in double figures as Aberdeen pulled away for a comfortable 77-68 win over the Mustangs.

The win, Aberdeen’s seventh straight, avenged the Mustangs’ 63-58 comeback win Jan. 5 and puts the Eagles (14-4) atop the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference’s Chesapeake division with an 8-1 mark. C. Milton Wright (13-4) is 7-2 and saw its nine-game winning streak come to an end.

“Last time, we were upset about the loss, so we already knew what we had to do. We just came out strong, trusted each other and got the win,” Bass said. “We knew they were going to get a run, they’re a good team, so we just had to stay focused, trust our defense and build off of that.”

Like the first meeting, the Eagles jumped out fast with a 18-2 run capped by a Bass 3-pointer that provided a 20-6 lead with 1:27 to play in the first quarter. But the Mustangs slowed the Eagles down in the second quarter and climbed back into the game with Jordan Ross (team-high 23 points) connecting on two threes early in the frame and Dylan Sander scoring two inside baskets to cut Aberdeen’s lead to 28-25 with 57 seconds left in the first half.

After taking a 30-25 lead into halftime, the Eagles pulled away in the third quarter when Darion Parris (16 points) and Bass hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions midway through the frame to extend the advantage to 50-39.

It would grow to 15 later in the third quarter and the Mustangs never got closer than eight points the rest of the game. Tyseaun Rodgers scored 15 points — including a 3-pointer with 1:34 left to push the lead to 71-58 — while Artarus Brown added 10 and Kenny Hunter chipped in nine.

“We did maintain the energy and we made shots,” Aberdeen coach Bill Jones said. “The biggest thing is Tylan Bass. We’ve played some really good teams this year — Parkville, Dunbar and Mervo among them — and he’s been as good as any player on the court. When he’s on, we’re a different team.”

The Mustangs, who also got 21 points from Kyle Ashman, moved the ball swiftly but fell behind because of some missed baskets from in close early in the game. Coach Mario Scott also said the Eagles’ work on the offensive boards was vital.

“We just didn’t rebound the ball,” he said. “I think if you look back at the game, at least half of their points were second-chance shots off of 50-50 balls that we can’t just assume we’re going to get.”

Aberdeen gets right back on the court Wednesday with a road game at Fallston with opening tip at 5 p.m. C. Milton Wright next hosts Havre de Grace on Friday at 6:45 p.m.

CMW — Ross 23, Sander 17, Ashman 21, Clark 4, Thompson 3. Totals: 28 6-7 68

A — Bass 27, Parris 16, Brown 10, Hunter 9, Rodgers 15. Totals: 32 6-10 77

Half: A, 30-25