Triple OT thriller
A. N. Myer’s Marauders and the Saint Paul Patriots sure know how to put on a show.
Myer hosted the Zone 3 AAA senior boys basketball final Thursday afternoon, and it took the Marauders three overtime periods to defeat the Patriots, and even then Myer only won by one basket. The final score was 64-62. “Well, we just feel fortunate to have won,” said Myer head coach Vito Dimartino. “Anytime a game goes to triple overtime and is settled by just two points, it’s obvious the game could have gone either way.”
But it didn’t start out that way. From the opening tip-off, Myer was clearly the more comfortable team on the court. The Patriots were the first team on the scoreboard with a big three-pointer and that would be the last time Saint Paul would lead in regulation time.
Myer’s Jack Daneyko and Chris Louis we determined not to get shown up in their own house, so they stepped up scoring all of Myer’s 16 opening quarter points between them. The two were so dominant around the Patriots net that Saint Paul head coach Frank Capretta had to call an early time out to stop the bleeding.
It was the right call at the right time, for when the Pats retook the floor, they immediately started closing the gap and the quarter finished 16-11 for Myer.
Myer started the second quarter with the same intensity that they finished the first and were able to pad their lead as Tyler Seymour joined Louis and Daneyko on the scoresheet.
Despite Myer’s fast start, the momentum shifted to Saint Paul as the Patriots were relentless on every possession and by the end of the quarter, through the scoring performances of Zach Bickell, Jan Degracia and Jason Rhodes, they had pulled back within five points and went into the half down 30-25.
Khalil Graham, Reece Fisher and Devontay Joseph sparked the Pats through the third quarter, but they couldn’t keep pace with Myer’s two big guns and with one minute left in the quarter, the Marauders were up by 10 points, but a long three from Bickell cut down the Myer lead to seven, and the quarter ended 48-41.
The standout player for the Marauders in the fourth was Tim Dougan whose solid play at both ends of the court may have prevented the Patriots from winning in regulation.
Holding the Marauders to a mere five points in the final frame of regulation play, the Patriots exploded for 12 points, but the biggest play of the game came with two seconds left on the clock.
With Joseph working the clock to set up the perfect play, Fisher made his way to the top of the three-point arc and drained a perfect swish for the tying points of the game.
The two teams traded the lead back and forth through two overtime periods. In the third OT period, Rhodes put up three points for the Pats, but Louis and Dougan connected for five to give the Marauders the 64-62 win and a berth in next week’s SOSSA finals.
“We had our chances to win it in each overtime quarter,” said a clearly disappointed Patriots head coach, Frank Capretta. “We hit that huge three at the buzzer in regulation and the momentum shifted to us even a little more.
“But what can I say? They have the talent, the size and the experience. We battled, but came up a little short.”
The Marauders will now play the Zone 4 champions from Governor Simcoe on Wednesday in St. Catharines.
The Marauders weren’t the only Falls team to secure a basketball SOSSA spot Thursday. The Westlane Spartans, playing in the AA loop, defeated the Centennial Cougars from Welland, 45-43 to advance to SOSSA at St. Francis next week.
“It was a hard fought game,” said Spartans coach, Marty Mancuso. “We were down eight points at the half, and seven at the end of the third quarter.
“We were able to storm back, but the Cougars kept it close and we had to fight back to win it.”
Leading the Spartans on the scoresheet were Andrej Kosevic ( 12), Crish Carvajal ( 10) and Jordon Maxim with seven. Top Cougars scorers were Mark Fehrman with 12 and Tayler Sagloski with nine.