SG Joseph Morgan scored 5 of his team-high 15 pts in the final minute with two breakaway dunks on outlet passes from PG Marquis Dubose to lift #2 LA Trade Tech (23-3, 8-0) to a 68-63 win over host #9 LA City (22-8, 5-3), clinching the SCC-North title and ending the Cubs' 14-year reign atop the division.
It was a tense, physical, playoff-type atmosphere as the teams' defenses dominated the game. The two breakaway dunks were seemingly the only easy baskets either team got all night. The two teams combined for 15 blocked shots, and shot a combined 32% from the floor.
But in the end, Trade Tech got the two baskets that made all the difference. And that meant that Trade Tech is the new SCC-North champion, after LATT, LACC and Compton shared the division championship in a 3-way tie last season.
With the game tied at 63, LACC had the ball but as the shot clock wound down, had to settle for a long jumper from SG Eric Nelson. Not only did the shot miss, but the rebound came out to Dubose, who quickly tossed the ball to a steaking Morgan for an uncontested dunk to make it 65-63 with 34.5 seconds left.
LACC again got the ball, and PG Branden Fisher tried a short jumper from just inside the free throw line. But again the rebound bounced hard off the rim and into the hands of Dubose. On nearly a carbon-copy of the previous play, Dubose lofted the ball into the frontcourt for Morgan for another jam. This time, LACC's Nelson raced back, but in trying to prevent the jam only ended up committing the foul, and Morgan's good free throw moments later made it 68-63 and sealed the win.
Rather than celebrate on the Cubs' floor, Trade Tech left the court immediately after the buzzer sounded and celebrated in the locker room.
That seemed advisable, as it was an intense, physical game between two division rivals. Neither team led by more than 8 points all night, though this game was far different from last month's 97-94 Trade Tech win.
Neither team scored in the first 2:22 of the game before Nelson made a free throw to give LACC a 1-0 lead. Morgan scored on an assist from Dubose just less than three minutes into the game, but moments later Morgan picked up his second foul of the game and headed to the bench.
With LATT's top scorer sidelined, LACC pushed out to a 5-2 lead after a putback basket by Ctr Travis George. However, Trade Tech then steadied itself and went in front, 11-9, on a 3-pointer by SG J.R. Lewis with just over 13 minutes left in the half. Trade's lead reached 7 points at 18-11 after another three by Lewis and a pair of free throws by PF Rico Myles.
But LACC finished the half well, taking a 27-26 lead on a basket by PF Ricky Boyles with just over 3 minutes left before the break. The Cubs led by as many as 5 points at 32-27 before settling for a 4-point advantage at intermission, 34-30.
When the second half began, Trade Tech immediately cut the margin to a single point on a 3-point play by Ctr Imari Thomas that made it 34-33. But City managed to hold onto the lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 8 points at 47-39 after a bank-shot three by Fisher.
Trade Tech scored the next 4 points to stay close, but still trailed by 3 when Morgan was fouled by PF Maurice Walters going up for a lay-up with 4:59 left. Walters was whistled for an intentional foul on the play, and George was assessed a technical foul in the aftermath. Morgan made two of the four free throws to make it a 1-point game at 58-57. Then, with 3:43 left, SF Brian Tollette made a pair of free throws to put Trade Tech ahead, 59-58.
As time wound down, the lead went back and forth. A leaner by Fisher put the Cubs ahead, 60-59, but then Dubose completed an alley-oop pass to Morgan for the jam to put Trade Tech back in front, 61-60. PF Nick Pacitti scored on a feed from Dubose to make it 63-60, but LA City got a free throw from Fisher and a short jumper from Nelson to tie it at 63 entering the final minute.
That set the stage for Morgan and Dubose, who scored all five points in the final minute to get Trade Tech the win and the SCC-North division title.
For Trade Tech, Morgan had 15 pts despite missing much of the first half with foul trouble. Thomas had a huge game with 13 pts, 12 rebs and 4 blocked shots. Lewis came off the bench to score 12 pts, including Trade Tech's only two 3-pointers. Dubose had just 5 pts but dished out 11 asts, more than twice as many as anyone else in the game.
For City, Fisher had 15 pts, 5 asts and 4 steals, though he made just 5 of 19 field goal attempts. Boyles was 5-for-5 from the floor for 10 pts and 8 rebs, but fouled out with 3:43 remaining. SF Chris Telesford also had 10 pts for the Cubs, who were without Head Coach Mike Miller (personal) and starting SF Scott Sterling (one-game suspension after being ejected Wednesday).
With the win, Trade Tech clinches the division, and all but assures itself of a top-4 seed in the playoffs. City falls to 22-8 overall and 5-3 in the division, will undoubtedly still make the playoffs but may have to go on the road in the first round and must win its last two regular season games to avoid the play-in round.
box score
Friday, February 15, 2008 - 7:30 pm
at LA City College
South Coast Conference - North Division
LA Trade Tech Beavers 68:
11-Marquis Dubose, PG - 1/6 fg, 3/4 ft, 6 reb, 11 ast, 1 blk, 2 pf, 5 pts
13-Joseph Morgan, SG - 6/12 fg, 3/5 ft, 2 reb, 3 pf, 15 pts
31-Imari Thomas, C - 6/13 fg, 1/1 ft, 12 reb, 4 blk, 3 pf, 13 pts
33-Brian Tollette, SF - 2/9 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 1 pf, 6 pts
44-Nick Pacitti, PF - 1/7 fg, 2/2 ft, 8 reb, 1 ast, 5 stl, 3 pf, 4 pts
15-James Lewis, G - 5/14 fg, 0/1 ft, 3 reb, 1 pf, 12 pts
24-Rico Myles, F - 1/2 fg, 4/7 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 3 pf, 6 pts
20-Robert Summers, F - 1/4 fg, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 2 pts
12-Tim Smith, F - 1/6 fg, 1 reb, 1 stl, 2 pts
34-Rene Johnson, G - 3/4 ft, 1 reb, 1 pf, 3 pts
team rebounds: 15
Totals: 24/73 fg (.329), 18/26 ft (.692), 59 reb, 16 ast, 6 blk, 9 stl, 17 pf, 68 pts
3-pt fg (2): Lewis 2
Intentional Foul: Morgan
Turnovers (22): Dubose 6, Pacitti 4, Summers 4, Thomas 2, Morgan, Tollette, Lewis, Myles, Smith, Johnson
LA City Cubs 63:
2-Eric Nelson, SG - 2/12 fg, 4/6 ft, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 3 pf, 8 pts
5-Branden Fisher, PG - 5/19 fg, 3/6 ft, 3 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 2 pf, 15 pts
10-Mundrell Young, SF - 1/9 fg, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 blk, 2 pf, 2 pts
15-Diego Belizario, PF - 3/8 fg, 9 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl, 4 pf, 6 pts
50-Travis George, C - 2/7 fg, 3/4 ft, 9 reb, 1 ast, 4 blk, 4 pf, 7 pts
20-Ricky Boyles, F - 5/5 fg, 0/1 ft, 8 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 5 pf, 10 pts
11-Chris Telesford, F - 4/7 fg, 4 reb, 1 blk, 10 pts
13-James White, G - 1/4 fg, 3/7 ft, 1 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl, 1 pf, 5 pts
21-Maurice Walters, F - 0/1 fg, 1 pf, 0 pts
team rebounds: 10
Totals: 23/72 fg (.319), 13/24 ft (.542), 52 reb, 12 ast, 9 blk, 12 stl, 22 pf, 63 pts
3-pt fg (4): Fisher 2, Telesford 2
Intentional Foul: Walters
Technical Foul: George
Fouled Out: Boyles 3:43 left
Turnovers (21): Fisher 5, White 4, Young 3, Belizario 3, George 3, Boyles 2, Nelson
Halftime Score: LA City 34, LA Trade Tech 30
Updated Records: LA Trade Tech (#2-South, #5-Calif) 24-3, 8-0 in SCC-North; LA City (#9-South) 22-8, 5-3 in SCC-North
Note: With this win, Trade Tech clinches the SCC-North. LA City had won or shared the previous 14 SCC-North titles
The game was tied at 63 with under a minute left, but Morgan scored twice on breakaway dunks on outlet passes from Dubose (and made a free throw after a foul on the second one) to break the tie and get LATT the win.
