SG Corey Allen and SF Lavell McDade combined for 55 points and SG Ashton Robinson hit a key 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds left in overtime as #15 Mt. San Antonio edged #7 Chaffey, 89-88, in the championship game of the 2011 Mountie Classic Saturday afternoon in Walnut.
McDade scored 20 of his points in the first half, and Allen scored all 31 of his points after halftime. But it was Robinson's jumper from the top of the key that was the difference as Mt. SAC captured the championship of its own tourney.
And yet, Chaffey nearly pulled the win out in the final seconds. An inbounds play under the Mt. SAC basket resulted in Ctr Darius McGee getting the ball just ahead of the final horn, but he couldn't get the lay-up to fall through the basket, allowing Mt. SAC to escape with the win.
After Robinson's basket, Chaffey brought the ball into the frontcourt and nearly lost possession when PF Ryan Nitz stumbled; he managed to call timeout with 6.1 seconds left. On the restart, the ball went to SF Kenny Morgan, but his shot missed. The clock went to zeroes but the horn never sounded, and after a conference the officials ruled that the ball had bounced off Mt. SAC and that there were 0.3 seconds left.
After a timeout, McGee sauntered onto the court, looking more than a bit disinterested, as the teams lined up. But then he suddenly snapped to life and cut towards the basket, receiving the inbounds pass just below the rim. He had no opposition at the basket, but had to rush the shot - there were just 0.3 seconds left on the clock, after all - and the ball rolled of the rim as the final horn sounded. It was a brilliantly-designed play by coaches Jeff Klein and Jon Keller, and McGee did a magnificent acting job selling the idea that he wasn't the intended target of the inbounds pass, though the final result was less than what Chaffey had hoped for.
All that was just the final chapter in an outstanding game. Neither team led by more than 8 points the whole game, and the teams combined to shoot better than 50% from the floor. And despite some intense defense (and five extra minutes) the teams combined for just 27 turnovers.
McDade had a marvelous first half, scoring 20 of Mt. SAC's 30 points. After Chaffey jumped out to an early 7-3 lead, Mt. SAC went on a 10-0 run to go in front and pushed the margin to seven at 16-9 after a McDade 3-pointer. After a Chaffey free throw, a long 2-point jumper by McDade made it 18-10.
Chaffey (6-3) rallied to take a 24-22 lead on a 3-pointer by PF Andrew Ruiz. And after PG Ervin Ware brought Mt. SAC even with a bank-shot, Chaffey went back into the lead and had a 5-point advantage at 32-27 before McDade's fifth 3-pointer of the game in the final minute of the half made it 32-30 at the break.
Mt. SAC (7-2) tied the score at 32 on a baseline jumper by Allen in the opening seconds of the second half. Those were Allen's first points of the game, but with McDade soon getting into foul trouble and scoring just four points after halftime, the Mounties needed all of Allen's 31 points after halftime to have the chance to pull out the win.
The lead went back and forth until Mt. SAC pushed out to an 8-point advantage at 62-54 after a steal & lay-up by McDade made it 62-54. But those would be McDade's last points before he fouled out, and Chaffey quickly closed the margin to two points at 66-64 with just under five minutes left.
Chaffey pulled even on a pair of free throws by Morgan after a loose ball foul on McDade - his fifth of the game - with 1:06 left. Mt. SAC went back in front on a basket by SF Taj Spencer off an inbounds play with about 30 seconds left. Chaffey tied it on a driving lay-up by PG Eddie Bowie with 17 seconds left. Mt. SAC had two chances to win it in the final seconds but shots by Ware and Robinson both missed; Robinson of course would get another chance just a few minutes later.
In overtime, Mt. SAC took an 82-78 lead after a 3-pointer by Allen. Chaffey rallied to take an 83-82 lead on a jumper by PG Sango Niang and a 3-pointer by Morgan. The lead went back and forth and Chaffey took an 88-86 lead on a 3-pointer by Nitz - his 5th of the night - with 33.6 seconds left. But Robinson answered that with a 3-pointer of his own with 18.1 seconds to go, and that turned out to be the difference.
Allen finished with 31 pts, 4 asts and 2 steals, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. McDade totalled 24 pts, 9 rebs, 3 asts and 2 steals. Ware had 9 pts and game-highs of 9 asts and 3 steals. Martin had just 4 pts, 4 rebs and 3 asts, but was named tourney MVP largely for his role in Mt. SAC wins earlier in the tournament over Santa Barbara and Cerritos. Robinson had just 9 pts and 2 field goals, both 3-pointers, but those turned out to be very important field goals.
For Chaffey, Nitz had a superb all-around game with 22 pts (5 threes), 7 rebs, 4 asts, 2 steals and a blocked shot. McGee had the game's only double-double with 19 pts and a game-high 10 rebs. They both made the all-tournament team. Morgan managed 16 pts and 6 asts after a slow start - he was 0-for-4 with two turnovers and no assists at one point - and Niang came off the bench for 11 pts, 3 asts and a steal.
box score
2011 Mountie Classic
Saturday, December 3rd @ Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut CA
Championship Game - 3 pm
Chaffey Panthers 88:
1-Eddie Bowie, PG – 3/6 fg, 1/2 ft, 2 reb, 5 ast, 1 stl, 2 pf, 7 pts
4-Kenny Morgan, SF – 6/13 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 16 pts
10-Ryan Nitz, PF – 7/10 fg, 3/4 ft, 7 reb, 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl, 3 pf, 22 pts
12-Justin Long, SG – 1/4 fg, 4/4 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 6 pts
22-Darius McGee, C – 9/13 fg, 1/2 ft, 10 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 19 pts
34-Mike Karimu, C – 2/2 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 4 pts
2-Sango Niang, G – 3/6 fg, 4/4 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 1 pf, 11 pts
5-Justin Cole, G – 0/5 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 0 pts
20-Andrew Ruiz, F – 1/1 fg, 1 reb, 2 pf, 3 pts
24-Alex Varner, G – 0 pts
team rebounds: 3
Totals: 32/60 fg (.533), 15/18 ft (.833), 34 reb, 21 ast, 2 blk, 8 stl, 16 pf, 88 pts
3-pt fg (9): Nitz 5, Morgan 2, Niang, Ruiz
Turnovers (16): Bowie 7, Morgan 5, Niang 2, Nitz, Long
Mt. San Antonio Mounties 89:
12-Corey Allen, SG – 12/18 fg, 5/6 ft, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 1 pf, 31 pts
20-Lavell McDade, SF – 8/11 fg, 3/5 ft, 9 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl, 5 pf, 24 pts
22-Ervin Ware, PG – 3/12 fg, 2/4 ft, 1 reb, 9 ast, 3 stl, 2 pf, 9 pts
23-Darnell Martin, PF – 2/5 fg, 4 reb, 3 ast, 4 pf, 4 pts
33-Chaz Thomas, C – 1/2 fg, 4 reb, 2 pf, 2 pts
3-Ashton Robinson, G – 2/9 fg, 3/4 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 9 pts
24-Taj Spencer, F – 3/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 5 reb, 1 pf, 8 pts
4-Hakeem Nance, G – 1/2 fg, 2 ast, 2 pf, 2 pts
11-Jeffery Nibo, F – 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 pf, 0 pts
32-Christian Mays, C – 1 ast, 0 pts
42-Andrew Ortiz, F – 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 32/66 fg (.485), 15/21 ft (.714), 32 reb, 26 ast, 0 blk, 7 stl, 18 pf, 89 pts
3-pt fg (10): McDade 5, Allen 2, Robinson 2, Ware
Fouled Out: McDade 1:06 left in regulation
Turnovers (11): Ware 3, Nance 3, Allen, Martin, Thomas, Robinson, Nibo
Halftime Score: Chaffey 32, Mt. San Antonio 30
End of Regulation: Tied at 74
Updated Records: Mt. San Antonio (#15-South) 7-2, Chaffey (#7-South, #14-Calif) 6-3
Neither team led by more than 8 points the whole game.
Bowie tied it for Chaffey with a driving lay-up with 17 seconds left in regulation.
Robinson won it for Mt. SAC with a 3-pointer with 18.1 seconds left in OT.
Chaffey tried an inbounds play to McGee with 0.3 secs left but his shot missed at the buzzer.
Martin was named tourney MVP and Allen was named to the all-tournament team for Mt. SAC. McGee and Nitz were named to the all-tournament team for Chaffey.
