Men at Work

MAVERICKS COAST TO TOURNEY TITLE ON ANOTHER NO-NONSENSE PERFORMANCE

There's not a lot of flash or pizazz to the Milford boys basketball team this year.

They don't need it.

The 2011-2012 Mavericks' cage crew is all guts and grit.

Displaying its usual brand of workmanlike-toughness, Milford remained undefeated on the season and captured the Northville Holiday Tournament in resounding fashion, topping the host Mustangs 49-34 in the tourney championship game on Thursday night.

Doing most of the damage for the Mavs was the crafty and hot-shooting backcourt of senior point guard Brandon Wallace and junior off-guard Josh Corey. Wallace registered a game-high 15 points to go along with six assists, five rebounds and three steals, while Corey, a dangerous threat from the perimeter, put up 12 points and connected on 3-for-5 attempts from long range.

Senior center Steve Sloboda, the squad's primary presence in the post, came through with another rock steady outing for Milford and head coach Chip Lutz by scoring eight points and snatching eight boards. Chris Orr, one of the Mavericks' key emotional leaders, tallied seven points, four assists and four rebounds.  

The hard-nosed victory, a typical effort from the current Milford hoop contingent, raises the team's overall record to a perfect 5-0.

Last year, the Mavs went .500 on the season, finishing at 10-10.

The continuing stellar play by Wallace at the point guard slot this year has been an integral component to Milford's early-season success. As a junior last year, Wallace, also a star running back for the school on the football field, started at shooting guard, however has been forced to switch to being the team's floor general in lieu of starting point guard Alex Larson breaking his hand in the preseason.

Back in the fall, Wallace and Larson (quarterback) took the Mavs football squad into the playoffs, breaking a two-year draught for the program from postseason play.

In its semifinal hoop contest on Wednesday, Milford snuck past Farmington 53-46 in overtime to advance into Thursday's championship tilt.