College Park is going to the NorCal Division II Championship after knocking off Saint Francis, 85-83, in an incredibly thrilling shootout. The Falcons have a date with Dublin at home this Saturday at noon.
“We played really hard. We’re on top of the world right now,” said team captain Mikey Eggleton. “We’ve still got more games to play, and we’re not satisfied yet, but this is really exciting. This is the farthest the school has ever gone, and everyone is supporting us. We just love all of the support that we’re getting.”
College Park led 62-61 heading into the fourth quarter, but Khalil Johnson ripped off two 3-pointers from way downtown, and then stole a pass and finished on the other end to give the Lancers a 72-66 lead with about five minutes left.
College Park coach Craig Battle told his team during the ensuing time out, “Never say die. We’ve been through a lot, up and down all year. We didn’t quit. We made some defensive stops.”
The Falcons responded with a 10-3 run to take a 76-75 lead with 3:25 left in the game. Khalil Johnson hit a free throw to tie the game at 76, but then College Park pulled away. Jeffrey Mitchell stole the ball and finished with a layup at the other end. Then, Joe DeMers hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to give his team an 81-76 lead with 2:19 lead. Johnson tried to bring his Lancers back, hitting another deep three.
Then, Seb Flores hit the most impressive shot of the night. DeMers had the ball down low, but he was double teamed, so he kicked it out to Flores on the right wing. With the shot clock running down, Flores, put up a shot with Mike Lauck draped all over him, and he hit the bottom of the net. The College Park crowd erupted, and ran down stairs from the bleachers waiting to storm the court.
The Lancers had one last stand, when Khalid Johnson nailed a 30-footer with 1.5 seconds left, but they couldn’t get the ball back.
The Falcons were able to hold off the Lancers despite their hot shooting because of their dominance on the glass. They outrebounded the Lancers, 35-24, and pulled down 11 offensive rebounds.
A key adjustment for College Park was how they defended Lauck, who hit 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the second half and had 19 points overall at that point.
“Jeff Mitchell, the defensive job he did on [Lauck] cut those baskets out and gave us a chance,” said Battle. Lauck was held scoreless for the rest of the game.
For the Lancers, Khalid Johnson went out of the game with his team up 72-66 when he aggravated a bone chip in his ankle, which has been bothering him all season. He came back with about 30 seconds left in the game. The offense was noticeably less fluid, and less open shots were created in his absence.
"We were up six when we lost Khalid, and then all of a sudden it got away from us," St. Francis coach Mike Motil said. "We relied on too many perimeter jump shots and didn’t get inside enough."
The game, unsurprisingly given the score, came down to shooting.
“It was crazy,” Motil said. “People were making shots all over the place. It was a fun game to watch. Great atmosphere, everything it wants. It stinks that you lose, but it was so much fun.”
The two teams hit a combined 26 3-pointers for the game. The Lancers got it started in the first half by making nine 3-pointers, though the Falcons were able to match the Lancers shot for shot, and took a 47-44 lead into halftime. Eggleton kept his team in the game, as he scored 16 points in the first half and looked like he couldn’t miss.
“It got contagious, especially in the first half. We were just going at it back and forth,” said Eggleton.
The Lancers quickly took a 61-57 lead in the third quarter, but Eggleton scored a layup, and then Peter Schoemann hit a deep three from 30 feet out at the buzzer to put his team up 62-61.
The Lancers came back again at the beginning of the fourth quarter, but they could not hold off the Falcons.
“You hate to see a team lose like that,” said Battle. “Those guys put a lot into it, and played outstanding. By far the best team we’ve played all year, especially shooting. Goodness gracious, those guys were bombing threes.”
For the Lancers, it’s a bitter end to an outstanding season, which included a CCS Division II title.
“You tell them that you love them, you tell them thank you for their effort. Especially this group," Motil said. "When the season was so tough, and the WCAL was so tough, and you’re able to put that on the backburner and just try to get better and compete, they could have pulled in the tent."
The Falcons are looking to win a first Norcal title for the school.
“The guys believe whoever we are going to play, we can win,” said Battle. “We have a chance. We’re just going to stick together and see what we can do.”
Eggleton led all scorers with 24 points. DeMers recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Flores scored 14 points.
Khalil Johnson led the Lancers with 20 points. Khalid Johnson had 11 points, 10 assists, and three steals.
