Ctr Declan Daly scored with about a minute left off a pass from SF Baptiste Boucharel to give Mira Costa a 56-55 lead, and that turned out to be just enough after a bizarre final minute in the Third Place game of the 2012 Cougar Holiday Classic at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.
Daly's basket was the final scoring play of the game. But in that final minute #11 Mira Costa (9-6) missed two free throws that were front ends of one-and-one situations, #10 Canyons (9-6) missed two field goal attempts (not even counting a last-second desperation heave) and the officials made two rather strange held-ball calls, with each team benefitting once.
It was a scene in which one could easily imagine John Facenda, or at least Chris Berman imitating Facenda, describing the frozen tundra of the COC gymnasium. It was cold - the building's furnace is broken - with the teams' shooting matching the atmospheric conditions. All that was missing was the wind coming in off Lake Michigan.
The only time either team led by more than seven points was when Mira Costa jumped out to a 46-34 lead in the first few minutes of the second half. But Canyons quickly answered with a 12-0 run to tie the score at 46, and the lead went back and forth the rest of the way, with Daly putting the Spartans in front at the one-minute mark.
Canyons had the ball near midcourt but the ball came loose under Mira Costa pressure as the clock passed the 40-second mark. Suddenly the whistle sounded, and a held ball was called, though nobody from either team had a hand on the ball. The officials apparently ruled it was an inadvertant whistle, with Canyons retaining possession via the possession arrow with 38 seconds left.
PG Terrez Scott missed a jumper, but the ball went directly out of bounds off Mira Costa with 19 seconds to go. After a timeout, Daly tapped the ball away from SG Jaylen Bland of the Cougars, but the ball went out of bounds to Canyons with 9 seconds left. After another timeout Bland missed a 3-pointer, and Daly got the rebound and was fouled with 4 seconds left.
But the game wasn't over just yet. Daly missed the free throw, and SF Tyler Barber got the rebound, with COC calling timeout with 3 seconds left. On the restart, SF Lionel Poole's inbounds pass was intercepted by Boucharel near halfcourt, and he was hit after the catch by Barber, who came in like Ronde Barber of the NFL Buccaneers. Strangely, another held ball was called with 2 seconds left. This time the arrow gave the ball to Mira Costa, which got the ball to SG Austin Hershberger, who was fouled. He missed the free throw - the front end of a one-and-one - but Scott's 80-foot heave was well off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
PF Bryce Lenhart scored 15 pts and grabbed 6 rebs for Mira Costa, which avenged the two prior defeats this season to the Cougars. SG Lawrence Chamerlain had 10 pts and 9 rebs. Boucharel had 9 pts, earning a berth on the all-tournament team, and PF Andre Warren came off the bench for 9 pts, 6 rebs, 2 asts, a block and a steal. Daly had 6 pts, 8 rebs, 3 blocks and 2 steals. PG Dominique Moreno had 4 pts and dished out a game-high 8 asts.
For Canyons, Bland had 11 pts, 4 asts and 5 steals despite missing the last 11:32 of the first half after picking up his 3rd foul. PG Jawhar Purdy had a strong game off the bench with 10 pts, and Ctr Ronald Harris just missed a double-double with 9 pts and a game-high 13 rebs. but the Cougars missed PF Temjae Singleton, who had just 3 pts before leaving after aggravating a groin injury.
box score
2012 Cougar Holiday Classic
Saturday, December 29th @ College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita
Third Place Game - 3 pm
Mira Costa Spartans 56:
2-Lawrence Chamberlain, SG - 3/8 fg, 4/5 ft, 9 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
23-Baptiste Boucharel, SF - 2/10 fg, 5/7 ft, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 3 pf, 9 pts
32-Dominique Moreno, PG - 0/4 fg, 4/6 ft, 6 reb, 8 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 4 pts
42-Declan Daly, C - 3/7 fg, 0/1 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 3 blk, 2 stl, 4 pf, 6 pts
44-Bryce Lenhart, PF - 4/9 fg, 7/9 ft, 6 reb, 2 pf, 15 pts
10-Travon Tucker, G - 0/1 fg, 1 reb, 0 pts
12-Austin Hershberger, G - 1/4 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 reb, 1 stl, 2 pf, 3 pts
11-Andre Warren, F - 4/10 fg, 0/2 ft, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pf, 9 pts
15-Marcus Hall, G - 0 pts
33-Terence Lipps, C - 1 reb, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 17/53 fg (.321), 21/33 ft (.636), 48 reb, 12 ast, 6 blk, 8 stl, 18 pf, 56 pts
3-pt fg (1): Warren
Turnovers (20): Moreno 5, Daly 4, Chamberlain 2, Lenhart 2, Warrren 2, Boucharel, Tucker, Hershberger, Hall, team
Canyons Cougars 55:
5-Jaylen Bland, SG - 5/15 fg, 1 reb, 4 ast, 5 stl, 3 pf, 11 pts
15-Temjae Singleton, PF - 1/7 fg, 1/1 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 2 pf, 3 pts
25-Ronald Harris, C - 3/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 13 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 9 pts
30-Terrez Scott, PG - 0/5 fg, 0/2 ft, 4 reb, 5 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 0 pts
31-Tyler Barber, SF - 3/9 fg, 1/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 2 pf, 9 pts
34-Jawhar Purdy, G - 3/6 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 10 pts
44-John Green, C - 1/1 fg, 2/2 ft, 1 reb, 1 pf, 4 pts
11-David Horst, F - 3/5 fg, 1/3 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 3 pf, 9 pts
14-Lionel Poole, F - 0/2 fg, 4 reb, 1 stl, 0 pts
24-Antonio Rios, F - 0 pts
10-Sam Colmenero, G - 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 4
Totals: 19/57 fg (.333), 10/16 ft (.625), 35 reb, 13 ast, 3 blk, 12 stl, 21 pf, 55 pts
3-pt fg (7): Barber 2, Purdy 2, Horst 2, Bland
Technical Foul: Barber
Fouled Out: Harris 4 seconds left
Turnovers (18): Barber 5, Singleton 3, Bland 2, Horst 2, Poole 2, Scott, Purdy, Green, team
Halftime Score: Mira Costa 31, Canyons 27
Updated Records: Canyons (#10-South, #19-Calif) 9-6, Mira Costa (#11-South) 9-6
Mira Costa started the 2nd half with a 15-7 run to lead 46-34. Canyons answered with a 12-0 run to tie it at 46.
Daly scored off a pass from Boucharel to give Mira Costa a 56-55 lead with about a minute left.
Scott and Bland both missed potential go-ahead shots in the final minute for Canyons.
This is the 3rd time this season these teams have met; Canyons won the first two.
Boucharel was named to the All-Tournament team.
