Buzzer-beater sends CMA tourney hopes up in Flames
Erasing a 22-point deficit in the second half to take a 74-69 lead with less than two minutes to play, Christian Ministries Academy was primed for a miraculous comeback win in the Tournament of Champions final Wednesday night.
That was until Pulaski County’s Jeremy Elmquist delivered the shot of his life with the game on the line.
With the score tied at 75, CMA’s Kamren Roelke connected on two shots from the free throw line to give the Conquerors the lead with less than two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
Needing a miracle to keep its championship hopes alive, Pulaski County launched the ensuing inbound pass the length of the court where Elmquist secured it and buried an off-balance 3-pointer as time expired to give the Flames a stunning 78-77 win at Bank of the Ozarks Arena.
“As soon as I got it, I just turned around and threw it, and I couldn’t believe it went in,” Elmquist said. “I didn’t think it had any chance. I thought it was going to go off left. It felt great to win a tournament that way, and just be number one.”
Trailing 52-32 at the half, CMA tightened its defense in the third quarter to get back in the game. Roelke scored 10 points, sparking a 15-2 run as the Conquerors trimmed the gap to 61-50 entering the final period.
Roelke continued to shine in the pivotal fourth quarter, scoring 10 of CMA’s first 20 points to give the Conquerors their first lead of the game at 70-68 with 2:25 remaining.
Two free throws from senior Cameron Oliver stretched CMA’s lead to 74-69 in the final minutes, but the Flames wouldn’t go down without a fight.
Consecutive 3-pointers from Pulaski County’s Hudson Likens knotted the score at 75-75 with eight seconds remaining, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
“They’re a young team, but they believe in each other and they really trust each other,” Pulaski County coach Michael Bennett said. “The other team played well and hit shots in the second half, but they didn’t wilt under that. They stayed with it when we got down, and executed offensively and dug in it defensively. They did what they had to do.”
Combining a ferocious defense with an aggressive offense, the Flames opened the game on a 15-4 run and held a comfortable 25-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Elmquist scored nine points in the opening frame, while junior Christian Greer had seven points and junior Daniel Stephens added five points.
Continuing to attack the basket, Pulaski County did most of its damage at the free throw line in the second quarter. Senior P.J. Mann, Greer and Stephens combined to hit nine of 11 attempts from the line as the Flames stretched their lead to 52-32 at the half.
Pulaski County scored 17 points at the foul line in the first half, compared to two points for the Conquerors.
“It was really just an execution of the offense,” said Bennett. “If they have threes available, they’re going to take them; if the drives are available, they’re going to take them. The point of emphasis we had was to match their physicality and match their intensity.”
Roelke finished with a game-high 32 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, and Oliver chipped in with 13 points for the Conquerors.
Greer paced the Flames with 18 points, while Elmquist added 17 points and Stephens scored 14 points.
Opening the game on a 12-2 run, CMA led from start to finish in a 67-40 semifinal win over the Fort Smith Patriots Wednesday afternoon.
Oliver scored 10 points and Roelke scored nine points as the Conquerors held a commanding 24-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
“The score in the first quarter was one of our winning stats that we had for the game,” CMA coach Stuart Berryhill said. “That showed us our mentality going into the game. The first quarter was very big for us.”
The Patriots bounced back with 15 points
in the second quarter, but CMA heated up from behind the arc. Roelke buried two 3-pointers, while sophomore Christopher Desfassiaux and senior Russell Berry each connected on one to give the Conquerors a 40-24 halftime lead.
Despite picking up his third foul late in the second quarter, Roelke continued to provide a scoring burst for CMA at the start of the second half.
The senior single-handedly matched Fort Smith’s offensive output with 10 points in the third quarter, and the Conquerors stretched their lead to 59-34 entering the final frame.
“He’s been learning to play smart around the basket even when he has three fouls,” Berryhill said of Roelke.
With the game all but over, CMA outscored the Patriots 8-6 in the fourth quarter to set the final margin and advance to the championship round.
Roelke led all scorers with 31 points, while Oliver finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Tay Releford led fort Smith with seven points, Matthew Melton and Johnathan Poe each scoring six points.
CMA (20-4) hosts the Arkansas School for the Deaf at 7:30 p.m. tonight.