Sandburg’s Malachi Perkins was barely in elementary school when Jalen Brunson was competing for state titles at Stevenson. But that is who Perkins tries to emulate while on the court.
“I really like Jalen Brunson,” Perkins said. “The way he gets to the lane lane and just the way he plays the game like coming to a one-two and getting an up-and-under or how he gets defenders on his back when going to the rim.”
Just like Brunson, Perkins has the ability to score, find an open teammate and when needed, draw a foul and get to the free-throw line. That was apparent in the Eagles’ 50-48 home loss to Bremen on Jan. 18.
Perkins scored 11 points, but his last shot fell short in the final seconds of the game.
The junior point guard was quick to take ownership, though there were other factors contributing to the loss.
“Well, it was my fault,” Perkins said. “I just have to be better on that (play). It was not the play we were talking about and I was just trying to do something.”
Coach John Daniels spoke with Perkins after the game and stressed the importance of playing at different paces.
“He has to slow down,” Daniels said. “Everything is fast and he is fast. But it causes turnovers. He knows what he wants to do and starts doing it before he even has the ball. He’s already running before he catches the ball.”
Sandburg (10-9) was down 10 points early but took a 29-20 lead into halftime with strong defensive play. Will Johnson scored 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half.
Bremen outscored Sandburg in the third quarter 17-13. Jonah Johnson, Will’s twin brother, kept the Eagles in the lead as he scored all nine of his points in the third.
Perkins has enjoyed growing together with the Johnson twins. The junior trio have been playing together since fourth grade at High Point Elementary.
“It’s fun,” Perkins said. “We grow together, we watch each other, and we are trying to play together, get better and win.”
Daniels plays several underclassmen even in key situations, but said they earned that opportunity.
“We did not lose because of experience,” Daniels said. “We played really hard, but we made some poor decisions on travels. We were unfundamental and we missed easy shots.”
Some of those came at the free-throw line, where the Eagles were 6-of-15.
“Even at the end,we had a possession where we missed four free throws in the final minutes of the game. You can’t do that,” Daniels said.
“We are learning,” Perkins said. “This is a bad loss. We have to keep our heads up and stay motivated. Hopefully we finish it off strong next time.”