Eagles comeback falls short
CULVER — In basketball, when your team makes more baskets than the other, you expect to win. Thanks to the proliferation of the 3-point shot though, that is not always the case.
South Bend Riley used that 3 vs. 2 shooting philosophy to its advantage to defeat Culver Academy, 47-44, in high school boys basketball action Tuesday night at Fleet Gymnasium.
Eleven of the 16 made field goals by the Wildcats, including eight in the first half, were beyond the 3-point arc, which ended up being enough to hold off the Eagles’ 19 made field goals, and just five coming from long distance.
“In all reality the game started off the way they needed it to - eight 3s, unguarded - and they got their confidence going,” said Culver Academy head coach Mark Galloway. “We had nine turnovers early and you can’t play from behind like that. Riley was more ready to play than we were.”
Riley led by eight at halftime, but CMA’S Cooper Farrall outscored the Wildcats in the third quarter, 9-4, to help get the Eagles back in the game at 34-31 heading to the fourth quarter.
Three straight 3s by Riley’s Marvin Schindler pushed the visitors’ lead back to 10 though with 5:10 remaining. Over the next four minutes however, Culver was able to whittle the lead back down to a single point, 45-44, with 33 seconds remaining, as Fola Fayemi scored nine straight for the Eagles to just two foul shots for the Wildcats over that stretch.
Over the next 26 seconds, Riley used three timeouts and took two Culver fouls - all during one possession - before finally being sent to the charity stripe in a 1-and-1 situation. Kishawn Wright nailed both freebies for his only two points of the night to give the visitors a three-point lead. CMA rushed the ball down the floor and was able to get two 3s off in the final 7.1 seconds, but both were just off the mark.
Farrall was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points and Fayemi added 17. Only one other Eagle scored - Darius Holland with six points (two 3s). CMA was just 1-of-7 from the foul line.
“Riley showed more patience and discipline than we did,” added Galloway. “We have to be more patient to get the shots we want. We didn’t attack inside at all. We wanted to hang out on the perimeter and we’re not that kind of team.”
Schindler finished with a team-high 16 (four 3s) for Riley and Mancell Hill added 15 (three 3s).
CMA will have its Senior Night for its last home game Saturday against Maconaquah.
• SOUTH BEND RILEY 47, CULVER ACADEMY 44
At Culver
SB RILEY: Payton Baird 1 0-0 3, Ian Boles 1 0-0 3, Kishawn Wright 0 2-2 2, Brandon Williams 3 0-0 8, Marvin Schindler 6 0-0 16, Caleb Francis 0 0-0 0, Mancell Hill 5 2-2 15. TOTALS: 16 4-4 47. CMA: Wade Seddelmeyer 0 0-0 0, Darius Holland 2 0-0 6, Luke Vincent 0 0-0 0, Jack Rodgers 0 0-0 0, Cooper Farrall 9 1-4 21, Folabomi Fayemi 8 0-3 17, Claude Mpouma 0 0-0 0, Leo Brummell 0 0-0 0. TOTALS: 19 1-7 44. Score by quarters South Bend Riley 11 30 34 47 Culver Academy 6 22 31 44 3-pointers: CMA 5 (Holland 2, Farrall 2, Fayemi), SB Riley 11 (Baird, Boles, Williams 2, Schindler 4, Hill 3). Fouls (fouled out): CMA 11 (none), SB Riley 15 (none).
Records: CMA 13-6, SB Riley 11-9 JV score: SB Riley 55, CMA 53