Hollis, Antietam grinds out victory vs. Hamburg
Noah Archambault converted a three-point play with 33.9 seconds left to give Antietam the lead for good in a 50-47 win over Hamburg Thursday night in a Berks Conference Division III-IV game at Stony Creek.
The Mounts fell behind by six when the Hawks opened the fourth quarter with an 8-1 run, but scored the game’s final nine points to secure the win. Antietam’s Jovan Hollis scored five of his game-high 16 points in the run and assisted on Archambault’s go-ahead score.
“We’ve been in a lot of tight games this year,” Antietam coach Mike Green said. “We have been on some losing ends and winning ends. They understand how to close out tight games; they know how to handle it.”
The Mounts led 4039 going into the fourth quarter, but four different players scored to put the Hawks up 47-41.
That is when the Mounts (3-4 Berks IV, 9-7) went on their decisive run, led by Hollis. Antietam capitalized on a missed layup, then a turnover, converting both into andones, the first by Hollis before the go-ahead score by Archambault.
After an Hamburg’s Ty Werley went 0-for-2 from the line, AJ Scheifly made 1-of-2 free throws with 11.1 seconds left to give Antietam a 50-47 lead.
The Hawks (4-3, Berks III, 9-6) had two opportunities to force overtime but could not convert.
“We can’t close out teams when we have the opportunities to close them out,” Hamburg coach Kevin McFarland said. “We gave it away in the end by not making winning plays. I’d like us to have the confidence to make the plays that need to happen for us to be successful.”
Hamburg closed the first quarter with a 1614 lead. Kevin McFarland, the son of the coach, scored six of his team-high 15 points in the quarter.
The teams traded baskets throughout the first half, the biggest lead being 24-19 by the Hawks in the second quarter.
With 5:30 remaining In the third quarter, Hollis inbounded the ball off a defender’s back and converted a layup to give the Mounts their first lead since late in the first quarter.
“I just tried to be a leader out there tonight,” Hollis said. “I wasn’t just focusing on myself, I was trying to get other people involved as well.”
Conner Licklider and Xander Menapace each finished with eight points for the Hawks.
Kyle Lash had seven points for Antietam.
Antietam will take on Fleetwood in a Berks IIIIV game Tuesday at Fleetwood. Hamburg will look to get back on track Saturday at Panther Valley in a non-league game.