Bernie's super scorer is as dangerous WITHOUT the ball as with it

What makes Bernie senior guard Tristan Johnson difficult to defend? Well, let’s count the ways.

The 5-foot-9 athlete is quick, crafty, skilled, and smart with the basketball in his hands.

He can drive into defensive traffic and find open areas to score, where there appeared to be none. And he can shoot from the perimeter.

But what often gets overlooked with all players who can score the ball, and is the case with Johnson, is that he can find open teammates when the defense collapses on him, which it always does.

“I don’t teach that,” Bernie coach Jason Long said of Johnson’s court vision. “He is just a good player.”

The Mules (11-5) have gotten back on track this week with a road win at Oran (67-49) and a home win against Bloomfield (55-27) following a four-game losing streak against teams that have combined for 44 wins, and Johnson’s play has been a key reason for the success.

His ability will be tested tonight against a really good Puxico squad (12-5) at 7:15 p.m. in Puxico.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Long said, “we certainly talk about (Johnson sharing the basketball). We will show him things on film. We talk about making the extra pass and seeing the open man when you penetrate, but it is just him.

“He’s just pretty good.”

Against Oran, Johnson not only found teammates on dump-downs once he was in the paint, but often he was capable of throwing skip passes across the defense off one or two dribbles from the opposite wing.

“He is an unselfish kid,” Long said. “We ask a lot of him. Sometimes he’ll force a shot, but he’s not doing that because he’s trying to get his shots. He’ll force a shot because he feels like ‘Man, I’ve got to get us a bucket.’

“But I’ve told him, you have to trust your teammates.”

Johnson scored 27 points on the Eagles, but five other Mule players produced offensively, as well, including 26 combined points from seniors Tucker Anthony and Hunter Corzine, who each gathered passes from Johnson from time to time.

“We have unselfish kids,” Long said. “We have good kids.”