Michael Stanwood missed a significant portion of his senior season with a dislocated shoulder.
But there was never anything wrong with his legs.
The GCIT point guard showed off his blazing speed and proved that his injury is behind him as he scored a game-high 23 points on Tuesday in a 50-33 win over Washington Township in Tri-County Conference Royal Division action in Sewell.
The Cheetahs climbed back to .500 for the first time since mid-January, as they improved to 9-9 overall and 2-5 in the division. The Minutemen fell to 7-13, 3-5.
“I think we’re finding our identity again,” GCIT coach McNeil Wrice said. “We started off the season strong, and even the preseason, but when (Stanwood) was out we were missing our leader. Now he’s back and he’s doing good things for us.”
Stanwood, who missed seven games, was itching to return to the court. He’s started to look like himself lately, as he’s averaging 18.3 points in his last six appearances.
“It feels good now,” he said of his shoulder. “Mentally, I didn’t let it affect me, because I knew I would be healthy enough to play (eventually). I just worked my way back. It was all physical, and once I was healthy, I was ready to go.”
The Cheetahs took a 20-13 lead into halftime behind 12 points from Stanwood. They opened the second half on an 18-3 run and never looked back.
Stanwood had 11 points in the third quarter, most of them on dribble penetration all the way to the basket or fast breaks.
“That’s been his gift: He’s always been fast, but this year he’s playing even faster,” Wrice said. “At the same time, the game is slowing down for him (mentally) and he’s operating a little differently. He’s our senior, our captain, our leader, and I thought he took the game over.”
The dominant start to the second half helped GCIT bounce back from a seven-point second quarter.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Stanwood said. “They’re going to get some and we’re going to get some, and we just have to keep more for us. We have to learn how to keep a lead too, because that’s something we’ve been struggling with. That’s the main thing we have to focus on.”
Stanwood was the only player on either team to reach double figures in points. Defensively, the Cheetahs forced the Minutemen into 16 turnovers and 28 percent shooting from the field. Ian Malgapo and Stanwood each had four steals.
“Once our defense kicks in, we start playing together,” Malgapo said. “As long as I play my role and we win, it’s fine with me. I enjoy getting stops, getting steals and setting the tone. It’s all part of winning.”
Dominic Aquilino led Washington Township with six points. The Minutemen were held to single digits in the first three quarters before getting some energy in the fourth when coach Todd Powers emptied the bench and put four sophomores in the game.
GCIT sophomore Milan Suarez played limited minutes because of foul trouble but still managed six points and seven rebounds, which tied him with Stanwood for the team-high in boards. He has been a key factor in the Cheetahs’ improved play.
“He has a lot of upside,” Wrice said. “He rebounds at a high level and finishes pretty well. Today, foul trouble took him out of his rhythm, but without him, this thing wouldn’t work.”
GCIT has won four of five since a six-game losing streak in the first half of January, and is headed in the right direction as the regular season winds down. Next up is Gloucester Catholic on the road on Thursday.
“We’ve lost before, but this time I sensed something different,” Malgapo said of recovering from the losing streak. “Our attitude stayed positive, our heads were up, and we knew if we stayed the course then the tide would turn eventually.”
