Earl Williams
Panthers take a two-game in the Moore League
In the last three minutes of regulation, the game became extremely intense on both sides of the ball. One second, it was a scoring frenzy. The other second, it was block party in the paint. Often times, players ended on the floor and then found themselves at the free throw line.
The climax to everything came at with less than two seconds left on the scoreboard. That’s when Frank Chambers, Panthers’s senior point guard, dribbled down the gut of the defense towards the basket, found teammate Kane Young in the deep corner.
Young’s 3-pointer swished threw the rim to tie the game up at 66 to send the game into overtime.
Before this, Lakewood (7-11, 3-2), which appeared to have some cushion and momentum, opened the door for the Panthers get back into the game by fouling Jordan shooters multiple times at the arc.
In overtime, the Panthers took advantage of the new life bestowed upon them. They outscored Lakewood 15-6. It was as if Jordan coach Chris Francis unleashed the hounds from hell on Ron Massey’s court. They trapped, locking onto Lancers like they were a part of jerseys and wouldn’t let go. They hounded the Lancers, swarming all over the court creating havoc that let to multiple turnovers and buckets and enabling the Panthers to gradually pull away.
Young led Jordan in double figures with 26 points. Senior guard Dennis Redmond Jr. added 21 points followed by Chambers with 13 points (six in overtime). Sophomore Daveyon Chisom contributed 12.
Lakewood was led by Williams who delivered some deep balls at key moments and finished with with 19 points. Seniors Mason Pacheco, Alex Obi and Macahry Morris scored in double figures. They scored 17, 14 and 14, respectively.
The Lancers played without Chris Willis, their most seasoned point guard, a player who is usually poised under relentless pressure. All he could do is watch from the bench while currently nursing a leg injury suffered at the Damien Tournament in late December.
Despite this, the Lancers appeared in good shape without him. They recovered from what could have become a blowout. In the first half, they were down 28-9 before rallying to get back into the contest late in the second quarter.
With 44 seconds left in the third quarter, Lakewood senior guard Isaiah Nelson converted a pair of free throws that gave the Lancers a 41-39 lead. It grew to five before things started unraveling. Jordan made a comeback.
FRIDAY NIGHT SCORE
Jordan 97, Millikan 76