July 3, 2008 — It wasn't pretty but Coach Heidi Williams will take the 97-88 win her young Speak the Word squad pulled out against Ujima Wednesday in the Continental Basketball Association summer league at the Central High School gym.
"This game was not a good game for either team," said Williams, asked how her team was able pull it out in the end. "Too much erratic play was going on out there. I guess the other team must have just gotten tired in the end. Hopefully this win will be a motivating factor for them."
It was a physical game from the outset, and players had to be separated on occasions. At the end of the first quarter Ujima would enjoy their last lead of the game at 24-22 on the strength of eight first quarter points by Leon Lang.
The second quarter was almost a mirror image of the first, but some balanced scoring by Speak the Word enabled them to outscore Ujima, 21-17, taking a three-point lead.
Speak the Word opened up the third quarter on a 13-6 run to open up a 10 point lead at 56-46. Ujima battled hard to stay in the contest in the third period, turning up their defensive pressure.
Ujima then went on a run of their own and after a long three-pointer by Jahreem Williams; they found themselves down just three points at 60-57 with the third quarter quickly coming to a close. However, Jermaine Mulley answered with a three-pointer for Speak the Word as time expired and the lead was back to six, at 63-57, after three quarters.
An 8-4 run by Speak the Word gave them a 10-point lead at 71-61 early in the final period. Ujima continued to play hard and got to within seven points of the lead but 11 fourth-quarter points by Mulley proved too much to overcome. They were outscored 34-31 in the last quarter for a final score of 97-88.
Speak the Word was led offensively by Mulley, who led all scorers with a game-high 25 points. Craig "Big Smooth" Williams chipped in with 12 points, nine boards and five assists, and Marcello Jacobs also finished with 12 points and had seven assists.
For Ujima, leon Lang netted 13 points with seven assists and Jahreem Williams finished with 12 points.
