PLEASANTON, CA - Junior Jonathan Ned hit a 15-foot shot with eight seconds remaining, lifting visiting Heritage (6-0) to a 58-57 victory over host Foothill (3-3).
Junior Devin Powell's three-point shot, his only basket of the fourth quarter, had provided Foothill with a one-point advantage prior to Ned's game-winning shot, which sent Foothill to its third straight loss, by a combined five points, after opening the season with three straight wins.
"We didn't play our best basketball tonight, but give a ton of credit to Foothill, they played a great game against us tonight," said Heritage coach Pat Cruickshank. "That being said, it's really exciting to see our guys pull together and get a win on the road, especially against a solid program like that."
The game was close throughout the night, with Heritage holding a slim 11-9 lead after one quarter, but Foothill hung around in the second quarter, and the Patriots was just one at the half, 28-27.
Heritage maintained its one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, as the teams see-sawed back-and-forth. Senior Anthony Dennis led the Patriots with 17 points, followed by Ned and Tyriq Mack, with 11 apiece. Channing Tiddle and Tyrese Mack each had eight points in the game, but the duo combined for nine of the team's 13 fourth-quarter points.
Junior JT McDermott led Foothill with 14 points, while senior Rod Allen scored 12 points for the Falcons. Senior center Trey Porter had nine points, as Foothill did a bulk of its damage in or near the paint, with Powell's two three-pointers serving as the exception.
Heritage gets back into action this Thursday at the Don Nelson Classic, hosted by Dublin High, while Foothill hosts James Logan on Friday night.
