ALAMEDA — Three sluggish quarters and a whole host of dubious calls wouldn’t stop Friday night’s rivalry matchup between Alameda and St. Joseph Notre Dame from becoming an instant classic.
The host Hornets made gutsy plays down the stretch and scored 10 of the game’s final 12 points in overtime for a 58-54 win, the second straight year Alameda has topped the Pilots and reigned supreme on the island.
Julian Vaughns and freshman Jaylen Thompson scored the first four points of overtime, but a three by Alameda center Jordan Givens turned things around in a flash. Though most of his impact was in the post, he can change the game from the perimeter, as he did in overtime.
“I make a three every game,” Givens said. “If I’m open, I knock them down.”
Dallas Rider’s putback gave the Hornets the lead, and an airball handed the ball back to the hosts with 39 seconds left. SJND chose to try to force the turnover and presumably foul if all else failed, which left Dejon Marks open. He took the risk, firing up an open 3-pointer, and it paid off, putting the Hornets ahead by four and nearly blowing the roof off of Alameda’s gym. Two free throws from Marks with three seconds left would seal the game after a layup by Vaughns had brought the Pilots back within two.
The tremendous finish came after a wild fourth quarter filled with contentious officiating decisions. After St. Joseph Notre Dame (5-3) opened up a 41-32 lead, which seemed insurmountable in such a slow-paced game, Rider injected life into the Hornets with a 3-pointer. Vaughns was fouled after an Eric Greer steal, and Greer was given a technical foul, seemingly for taunting after the play. Both Vaughns and Rider made their free throws, and Alameda (6-4) drew within four on a basket by Givens. Vaughns answered with a dazzling drive to the hoop, but he too was given a technical foul, and after Rider made one of two free throws, a Bowman Roach 3-pointer cut it to 45-43.
“It’s an emotional game,” said Pilots head coach Don Lippi. “We didn’t control the pace. We want to run it, but with a late nine-point lead, you’ve got to control things.”
Two free throws by Marks tied the game at 45, and Roach’s third three of the quarter gave the Hornets their first lead of the second half with 1:45 left.
“They don’t really want to work on defense like we do at the end of the game,” said Roach. “In those late-game situations, it shows who really wants it.”
With 21 seconds remaining, an airballed 3-pointer appeared to be the death knell for the Pilots, but after a discussion by the two-man officiating crew, the ball was ruled to have been tipped out of bounds by Alameda. Another game-tying attempt failed, but Greer got the offensive rebound and fed Vaughns, who stepped back into the corner and hit the 3-pointer to knot the score at 48 with 11 seconds left.
Vaughns led all scorers with 26 and Adam Campos had 11, but the senior post was held in check through the second half thanks to Givens’ defense.
“He’s got good post moves, but I feel like if I would have just sagged back a little and let him make his extra movement, he wouldn’t have had all those looks,” Givens explained.
Rider led Alameda with 19, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter. Roach, who scored 11, matched his feat in the fourth and scored all of his points in the second half.
“That’s just what type of talent this team has,” Roach said. “Any one of us can score, and it can keep us in the game even if we don’t start off fast.”
Marks finished with 12, while Thompson had nine points and 10 rebounds for SJND. Thompson’s putback gave the Pilots a 25-23 halftime lead after they had tied the game with four straight points from Campos. Alameda led for much of the first half, holding a 15-8 advantage through one quarter thanks to Rider’s early hot shooting. David Tuutufavia’s 3-pointer, his lone basket of the night, put the hosts ahead 23-19, but they wouldn’t score again until a Givens basket with 4:40 left in the third to get back within three points.
“A lot of guys showed toughness down the stretch,” said acting Alameda head coach Michael Quick. “Everyone pulled together and showed heart. I’m happy with how the way we finished this game.”
