Barnett's stock is soaring like one of his transition dunks.

It would have been easy to signal out Derrio Green’s late-game heroics. He’s done it before (see: Fordham) and tonight he did it again scoring the final 8 points in a comeback from behind victory over a tough Wright State squad. However, tonight’s the night we highlight the consistently improved play of Javarris Barnett.  JB’s play was perhaps the prettiest thing in Halton tonight, falling just short of the forever undefeated Alpha Duster.  Without him, perhaps the Niners find themselves in too big of a hole to complete the turnaround.

JB had himself a terrific night, scoring 13 points on 4-8 shooting and adding 7 rebounds, a block and a steal. He was a threat from outside, hitting 2 for 5 from behind the arc and had several strong drives to the basket. It’s really been a remarkable progression for Javarris, going from an end of the rotation player to, in the words of coach Alan Major, a starter that’s doing something on the court -not just ‘earning’ his time. Perhaps the most exciting part is the feeling that the best is yet to come from Javarris. He has another whole season and a half in front of him to continue to develop and make the most of his opportunity. Are we predicting All-conference? No, that’s a bit precocious; however, he’s a player coaches are going to have to start planning for and someone we can start to count on to do good things for us on both ends of the court.

It was in that first half where JB did his best work, a half that would see the Niners go to the locker room down 29-25 to Wright State. The Raiders in the first half were able to get consistent open looks, particularly in the corners, as the Niners defense was frequently out of position. It was frustrating to say the least when Phil Jones was forced to fly out to the wing to defend a three-point shot in the corner and committed a foul. Normally I’d be furious with Phil about that, but when defensive breakdowns result in a center having to run out to the wing, it’s everyone’s fault.

Green answers the call yet again for the Niners late in the game.

That lead would swell to 14 points in the 2nd half as the Raiders continued to exploit the Niners defense, again particularly in the corners. the Niners though would adjust by switching to a 2-3 zone that frustrated Wright State and forced well-defended shots. The formerly sharp-shooting Raiders in the first half (48%) wound up shooting an abysmal 22% in the second half. CREDIT TO THE NINERS DEFENSE.

On the other end of the court, it was time for Derrio Greento answer the Bat Signal and deliver some more late-game heroics. The stretch of improved play couldn’t come at a better time for Green, who’s struggled early in the season to find his shot. Hitting a pair of clutch free throws followed by a deep 2 pointer and some timely stops, the Niners found themselves even with the Raiders. Following another tough shot by the Raiders, Derrio hit the game winning shot right in the eye of the defender, connecting from three and giving our beloved Niners a 56-53 lead. Chris Braswell, who struggled all game with tough interior defense and frequent double-teams, iced the game with a free throw and putting the Niners up 57-53 and providing the final margain.