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Patriots pull the upset
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
By JOHNNY BUCK - Bulletin Sports Editor
Point guard Ross Williams rebounded Josh McGill’s missed 3-pointer and made the offensive putback with 2.1 seconds remaining to lead Patrick Henry Community College’s men’s basketball team to a 91-89 upset of the nation’s 10th-ranked junior college squad, the Louisburg Hurricanes.
Williams, who led all scorers with 21 points on the night, got the uncontested rebound mere feet from the hoop after McGill’s shot bounced high off the rim, hit the top edge of the backboard and dropped straight down. Louisburg’s players stood still once the ball hit the top of the backboard, erroneously thinking it would be ruled out of bounds.
“We shouldn’t freeze; we should make a play in that situation,” said Hurricanes head coach John Meeks, who felt game officials made the correct call in allowing Williams’ basket “We should get the rebound regardless of whether the whistle blows or not, and we made an assumption that the whistle was gonna blow, and it didn’t, and they laid the ball in and scored.”
Louisburg had one last chance for the victory, but Marese Phelps’ heave from beyond halfcourt glanced off the left side of the rim as the final horn sounded.
“The biggest thing I guess that helped us pull this game out is that these kids kept their composure, played hard and didn’t give up,” said PHCC head coach Kenny Wade. “It’s a huge win.”
Josh McGill added 19 for PHCC, while Nick Goforth and Taneiko Robinson scored 14 points each.
The bucket capped an impressive game for Williams, typically the team’s combo guard, who started at the point in place of injured Darius Echols.
Not only did the 6-foot-3 Bealton native lead the way offensively, he helped break the ’Canes press down the stretch, causing Meeks to compare him to Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Troy Aikman for his ability to survey the floor.
PHCC led 45-42 at halftime. The game’s pace quickened in the second stanza, but the Patriots (9-4 overall, 3-1 Region X) never lost the lead despite allowing Louisburg (13-3, 3-1 Region X) to tie the score twice.
Marcellous Perez led the ’Canes with 19 points, while Phelps had 16, Jordan Davidson 15 and Fletcher Wynn 12.
PHCC 45 46 — 91
LJC 42 47 — 89
Patrick Henry (9-4, 3-1) — R. Williams 9 4-7 21; J. McGill 7 5-7 19; N. Goforth 1 (2) 4-4 14; T. Robinson 6 2-3 14; D. Echols 3 0-0 6; A. Jones 3 0-2 6; S. Martin 2 1-2 5; D. Davis 1 2-2 4; H. Cullen 1 0-0 2. Totals: 34 (2) 18-28 91.
Louisburg (13-3, 3-1) — J. Atkinson 7 5-8 19; M. Phelps 5 6-8 16; J. Davidson 7 1-5 15; F. Wynn 5 2-2 12; N. Young 4 0-0 8; M. Perez 0 (2) 0-0 6; A. Bennett 2 1-3 5; W. Smith 2 0-0 4; S. Akins 1 0-0 2; S. Reed 1 0-0 2. Totals: 34 (2) 15-26 89.
Halftime: PHCC 45-42. Field Goals — PHCC 34-57 (60 percent); Louisburg 34-64 (53 percent). 3-point Goals — PHCC 2-10; Louisburg 2-10. Free Throws — PHCC 18-28 (64 percent); Louisburg 15-26 (56 percent). Offensive Rebounds — PHCC 7; Louisburg 14. Defensive Rebounds — PHCC 11; Louisburg 12. Turnovers — PHCC 17; Louisburg 17.
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