BRENTWOOD, CA - Host Heritage saw its 11-point lead going into the fourth quarter sliced apart by College Park in the final minutes of the game, but held on for the 51-48 victory
The Patriots got off to a shaky start, going scoreless for the opening three minutes of the game while College Park had already put up six points with three-pointers from College Park guards Nick Lombardi and Razhell Watkins. Defensive stops on the other end for Heritage led to a few quick buckets, but the Falcons maintained the lead, ending a quiet first quarter up 11-6.
The second and third quarters saw more spark for the Patriots, with a combination of fast defense spearheaded by Tyriq and Tyrese Mack and aggressive glass guarding by Heritage center Channing Tiddle. Tiddle had six swats on the night, including one that pinned a College Park lay-up at about the 11-foot mark on the backboard. The offensive side was led by the Mack brothers, barreling up the middle towards the rim, and a few turn-around jumpers from Jonathon Ned to keep the Patriots in control going into the fourth quarter up 39-28.
The Patriots maintained the lead until the middle of the final quarter. College Park's Nick Lombardi lead a charge in the fourth with four three-pointers, and a combined total of 23 points in the game, with 16 of those in the final eight minutes. A strong defensive effort and a combined 22 points from Patriot guards Tyriq and Tyrese Mack allow Heritage (12-2) to hold out for the win.
"We did what coach said, we executed. Defensively we did well but offensively I think we could’ve done a lot better,” said Patriots center Channing Tiddle.
Late in the fourth, energy began to build for the Falcons, as they began to pull the gap in points closer to their favor.
“They picked up the pressure a little bit and forced us into late turnovers," said Heritage coach Pat Cruickshank. "They started making shots they hadn’t made earlier on. Credit to them for how hard they played. It wasn’t our best effort but a lot of the effort you put forward comes from the other team."
