Tha View Patriots Elite let one slip away Friday morning.
Joseph Anderson, a 6-2 shooting guard for the Houston Defenders, hit three free throws after time expired in regulation to send the game into overtime and the Defenders then held off the Arkansas team 66-64 in the first round of the 15-Under AAU National Tournament’s championship bracket.
Behind the play of Bryant’s K.J. Hill, the Patriots Elite overcame a four-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to take a 54-48 lead with 47 seconds remaining, but the Defenders did not allow the Arkansas team to advance across halfcourt the remainder of the game.
“I thought we had it,” Patriots Elite Coach Lee Pippins said. “We put one of our best defenders in and got him on the ball. We got the rebound and everything we needed ... but we made a bad foul at the end.”
A three-pointer drew the Defenders to within54-51 with 23 seconds to play. The Texas team then forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds play.
The Defenders missed 3 three-point attempts during the next 18 seconds, and the game appeared to be over when Darveon Brown collected a rebound with 4.7 seconds to play. But an errant pass was grabbed by Anderson, who was fouled as the buzzer sounded while putting up a desperation 23-footer.
Anderson hit the first two attempts and then waited through a Patriots Elite timeout before hitting the third shot and forcing the overtime.
“We were very fortunate,” Defenders assistant coach Cedric Law said. “One thing about these kids, three years ago, they wouldn’t have fought through anything like this. ... But Anderson has worked hard on his free-throw shooting and that’s what hard work with get you.”
“You can’t do anything but give them credit,” Pippins said. “They hit a big threepointer and then caused a big turnover. [Anderson] made three clutch free throws at the end.”
The Patriots Elite had a chance to send the game into a second overtime when they regained possession after a missed free throw with 10 seconds remaining, but the Defenders rebounded the Arkansas team’s final shot.
E’Torrion Wilridge, a 6-6 center who was named the high school newcomer of the year from the Houston area, led the Defenders with 24 points.
Hill scored 13 of his teamhigh 15 points in the secondhalf. His putback with 2:30 remaining in regulation started a string of six consecutive points for the Patriots Elite that gave them the 54-48 advantage.
Hill also had 6 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists.
“K.J. played with a lot of intensity on defense and offense,” Pippins said. “He played a lot smarter than he has in the previous games. He came up with some big plays down the stretch.”
ALABAMA FORCE 36, ARKANSAS MAGIC 21
The Magic managed only three field goals in the first half of Friday’s game and it only got worse in the second half.
The Force held the Magic to seven points in the second half to advance to today’s quarterfinals. Forward Joshua Thomas led the Alabama team with 10 points.
Post player Rashad Martin of Helena-West Helena Central led the Magic with six points and 10 rebounds. Hayden Mathews of Harding Academy grabbed seven rebounds and Braelon Walker of Little Rock Parkview had a team-high six steals.
The Magic were 11 of 23 from the free-throw line.
Sports, Pages 13 on 07/14/2012