By CONOR NICHOLL

cnicholl@dailynews.net

WILSON -- The Natoma High School boys' basketball team is 3-11 this season. However, the Tigers have lost eight games by nine points or fewer, including three defeats by two points or less. In addition, Natoma has played with several ranked teams, including Plainville, Wilson and Sylvan-Lucas. Only once have the Tigers lost by more than 16 points.

That trend continued in a 60-48 Natoma loss at Wilson on Tuesday. The Dragons, ranked No. 3 in Class 1A, Division II, never could pull away against Natoma's solid defense.

"We work hard the entire game," Natoma second-year coach Kurt Grafel said. "Tonight, we had some turnovers in the first half that are just uncharacteristic. We usually don't turn the ball over. We usually play pretty solid ball. We feel like we can play with anybody."

Wilson improved to 11-2 this season and had four players in double figures, including 25 points from senior Jake Stoppel. Stoppel entered the game averaging 27.5 points and 15.5 rebounds a game. In addition, junior Cole Zelenka tacked on 12, while sophomore Marcus Denham and junior Jordan Bess each added 10.

"He just changes everything out there. He is a great help defensively. He is a threat offensively," Wilson coach Mark Spears said of Stoppel. "... That's probably one of his strongest suits is he makes other kids look good."

Natoma normally plays a 2-3 zone and has permitted just 49.3 points per contest. Earlier in the year, the Tigers gave Plainville, undefeated and ranked No. 3 in Class 2A, one of its closest games in a 58-42 contest. Natoma lost 42-41 to Sylvan-Lucas, ranked No. 8 in Class 1A, Division I.

"That's one of our things that we work on a lot," Grafel said. "We try to play good, solid defense."

As well, Natoma has three losses by a combined 13 points to St. John's-Beloit, Thunder Ridge and Mankato-Rock Hills, squads that are .500 or better. Against Wilson, junior Phillip Murphy led the Tigers with 20 points, including four 3s.

"They play better against better teams and the Murphy kid I thought shot the ball real well tonight," Spears said. "We knew he could shoot it."

Wilson permitted Natoma to score four points in the second quarter and 17 at halftime. Natoma collected 31 second-half points and nearly always kept the margin with 16 points. Spears thought his team played well defensively for two and a half quarters.

"Then I thought late, it just wasn't very good," Spears said.

"We score on one end and we get beat back to the other end after a made bucket and gave up the baseline a couple of times. I didn't think we did a real good job of helping over the top at times, too. I just thought it was a lack of intensity the last quarter and a half."