The Sudbury Five have already had their fair share of games this month that have been decided in the final minute of play.

And while the final score might not indicate it, a 131-121 victory over the visiting Pontiac Pharaohs on Saturday night was truthfully an encounter where the Kings of the Underground were on cruise control for much of the second half.

Perhaps that was inevitable once some travel challenges would see Pontiac arrive with only seven players dressed for the contest – but after a 115-112 loss that saw coach Logan Stutz not terribly pleased with the grit his team displayed, the fact that they maintained a much better level from start to finish was welcomed – even against an undermanned opponent.

“These TBL (The Basketball League) teams that come up have some really good basketball players, as you can see,” said Stutz following his team’s fourth win in six games. “They might not have the depth or the size, but my goodness, some of those guys can really play.”

“Overall, we had to work on our energy as a team” – and they did just that.

Every single one of the 12 players who dressed for the Five netted a basket and all saw at least 12 minutes of court time – both definite anomalies for the vast majority of games that Sudbury will play this year.

“You need some games like this to keep the team morale high, getting everybody in the game,” said Stutz. “Everybody gets to touch the ball, everybody gets to score. The locker room feels great, everyone is happy for each other.”

On a night when veterans Jalen Hayes (22 pts) and Evan Harris (18) joined Andrew Whitsett (19) at the top of the Five scoring parade, their coach was far more pleased with some bigger picture takeaways.

“Those guys (Hayes and Harris) are pros,” he said. “They came in, they did their work, they did their job and they clapped for the other guys when they went in the game. I love seeing that as a coach.”

Truth be told, everyone was in on the action as Landon Kirkwood (15 points – including a thunderous tomahawk jam that brought the crowd to its feet), A.J. Mosby Jr (12), Samuel Daniel (9), Cody John (9), Keljin Blevins (8) and Duane Notice (7) all chipped in with regularity as the Five dominated inside, outrebounding the Pharaohs, 65-35.

The spirited Pontiac crew were led by James Towns (28), Trent Temple (24), Jalen Sykes (23) and Andre Johnson (21) and actually managed to keep it relatively close though the first and second quarters (trailing 36-32 and 68-57), as well as rallying a little in the fourth by outscoring the home side 35-28.

“They hit a lot of shots in the first (half) and we knew that if we kept coming at them, we would wear them down,” said Stutz.

Given the challenges the visitors were facing, Sudbury took advantage to test-drive a few wrinkles in terms of their overall basketball systems, sampling a few looks that have not traditionally been part of the general Five-basketball genre.

“I’m looking at playing bigger, something that has never really happened in this league before,” said Stutz. “We were able to do that a little bit tonight and experiment with it. I liked the way it looked in a good sample.”

Part of the strategy is a matter of working with what you’ve got, the Five boasting a larger collection of taller than average BSL players, including seven footer Andrew Whitsett, who went 9/13 from the field and added nine rebounds in 19 minutes of playing time.

“I think I’m happiest with my hustle plays, the way I run the court, my rebounding and scoring my easy baskets under the rim,” he said. “I’m happy with those things. I think the things I need to work on is being a little more active on defense, blocking a lot more shots and just continuing to grab rebounds.”

A newcomer to the Five who played in Azerbaijan last year, Whitsett played down the need to adjust to a new league. “To me, everything is kind of just basketball,” he said. “Basketball is kind of the same everywhere. You have to show up on the court and play ball. I think it’s maybe a little more of an outside-in game, which is a good game for me.”

On this night, however, it was a good game for pretty much everyone wearing a Sudbury Five jersey.

“Every game is important,” said Whitsett. “We have to stay locked in, no matter what – but getting that little bit of a lead increases the freedom and gives you a little more of some freestyle play. I believe it makes it a more more fun to go out there and be a little more loose.”