Ctr Bobby Kovach's free throw with 0.2 seconds remaining broke a 76-76 tie and gave host #6 Chaffey (17-4, 2-0) a controversial one-point victory over #12 Mt. San Jacinto (13-8, 1-1) Saturday afternoon in a matchup of Foothill Conference powers.
The disputed foul call that gave Kovach the free throw opportunity to win the game was the second controversial call in the final few seconds. With 4.2 seconds remaining, Mt. San Jacinto Ctr Joe Tillman missed a free throw that would have tied the game, but was awarded a second opportunity after the officials ruled that Chaffey had committed a lane violation. Tillman made good on his second chance, tying the game and setting up the other controversy.
On the final play, Chaffey had used its last timeout between Tillman's free throws so the Panthers had to inbound the ball after Tillman's final good free throw. The ball went to SG Larry Dew, who dribbled upcourt and tried to get the ball to Kovach under the Mt. San Jacinto basket. Kovach appeared to have trouble with the low pass. A scramble ensued, and the whistle blew as the horn sounded. After an officials' conference, it was determined that Kovach had been fouled by Mt. San Jacinto's Marcus Sikes with 0.2 seconds remaining, and since Chaffey was in the double bonus, Kovach would have two free throws.
Mt. San Jacinto coach Patrick Springer called two timeouts before Kovach attempted his free throws, and spent much of that time glaring at the official who made the call. Then Kovach stepped up and made the first free throw to break the tie. He missed the second, but Mt. San Jacinto SF Tremel Gilot had no opportunity to attempt even a desperation shot, giving Chaffey the victory. As the players shook hands, the official who had made the call took a step towards the center of the court but was re-directed to the locker room by another offical.
All that was just the final chapter of a tense, playoff-like game. Mt. San Jacinto won the battle of pace, often slowing the game to a half-court tempo and minimizing Chaffey's usual trapping and running style. The result was a physical, methodical game and Mt. San Jacinto nearly pulled off the upset.
Early on, it was a strange-looking Chaffey lineup as neither PG T.J. Smith nor Dew started for the Panthers. But they soon entered, as Chaffey used a 5 x 5 substitution pattern in the first half. Still, Chaffey got off to a difficult start, missing 17 of its first 21 shots and falling behind, 18-9, in the first 8 minutes. The Eagles' Sikes dominated the inside, grabbing 9 rebounds in those 8 minutes. And Mt. San Jacinto extended that lead to 11 at 22-11 after Sikes' 10th rebound of the game led to a pair of free throws by Gilot.
But then came the inevitable Chaffey rally. A three by SF Alwyn Jordan, a basket by PF Christen Massengale and a steal & basket by Dew brought the Panthers to within 4 at 22-18. A bit later, Smith grabbed a steal and went in for the lay-up to close the gap to 2 at 31-29. And when SF Chris Brown grabbed a steal and went in for the lay-up moments later, it tied the game at 31 with 3:15 left in the first half.
Mt. San Jacinto scored the last 5 points of the first half to take a 43-38 lead at intermission after SG Michael Wilson drained a three just before the buzzer. And early in the second half, the Eagles pushed their lead to 10 at 54-44 after Sikes fed Tillman for a pair of baskets.
But Chaffey rallied again, closing the gap to 2 at 58-56 after a FG+FT 3-point play by Brown and a basket by Dew. And moments later, Sikes picked up his 4th foul and had to go to the bench with 8:12 left and Mt. San Jacinto still holding to a narrow lead.
It wasn't long before Chaffey tied the game. PG Vince Alvarado drained a three, and on the next trip down the floor drew a foul and made two free throws to tie the game at 63 with 6:50 left. Then Brown got a rebound, was fouled, and made two free throws to put Chaffey ahead for the first time at 65-63 with 6:07 left on the clock.
For the next six minutes, it was Chaffey's turn to try to hold a narrow lead. Massengale grabbed a steal, was fouled and made two free throws to make it 67-63. But then Gilot scored a basket on one possession and a pair of free throws on the next to tie the game again at 67 with 5:30 left. Then T.J. Smith got a rebound, drew a foul (Tillman's 4th) and made a pair of free throws to put Chaffey back ahead. But moments later PF Sam Attah drained a 16-foot jumper from just past the free throw line to tie it up again at 73.
With 2:15 left, Chaffey appeared to get the key basket when Brown drained a three to make it 76-73. Then both defenses clamped down and points were hard to come by. SG Antoine Lee made a free throw for Mt. San Jacinto with 1:36 left to make it 76-74, but otherwise neither team scored as the game clock went to under a minute.
Mt. San Jacinto had the ball as the clock wound down, but Kovach stole the ball for Chaffey with 48 seconds remaining. The Panthers tried to run off as much time as possible, but the possession ended with a Brown miss near the end of the shot clock. Sikes grabbed the rebound and got the ball to PG DeWayne Green, who passed to Tillman under the basket. Chaffey had no choice but to foul him rather than allow him to dunk for the tying points. Just 4.2 seconds remained as he went to the basket for his free throws, which ended up tying the game (after a little controversy) and setting up the frantic finish.
For Chaffey, Brown came off the bench but had a strong game and led the Panthers with 18 pts and 3 asts. Smith added 12 pts, 9 rebs and 5 steals while Massengale had 11 pts. Alvarado had 10. Kovach had just 3 points, but the last one was pretty important.
For Mt. San Jacinto, Gilot led all scorers with 19 pts and also grabbed 8 rebs. Tillman added 14 pts while Green had 12; the much-anticipated showdown between Green and Smith, the Foothill Conference's top two point guards, ended in a 12-12 stalemate. Sikes had 13 pts, all in the first half, plus game-highs of 14 rebs and 5 asts. Lee came off the bench to add 11 pts.
It was a rough loss for Mt. San Jacinto, but should take heart from the many things they did well. Against a team that averages more than 100 points a game, they kept the pace slow and the score in the 70's. And they did it with just a 7-man rotation, which certainly goes against the conventional wisdom for facing a running team. With all that, they gave themselves the best opportunity to win, but came up just a point short.
For Chaffey, the win keeps them atop the Foothill Conference standings leading into Wednesday's showdown with San Bernardino Valley, the other of the three powerhouses in the conference. Game time is at 7 pm at Chaffey College.
box score
Saturday, January 7, 2005 - 3 pm
at Chaffey College, Rancho Cucamonga
Foothill Conference
Mt. San Jacinto Eagles 76:
4-Michael Wilson, SG - 2/4 fg, 2 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl, 5 pts
23-DeWayne Green, PG - 2/5 fg, 8/8 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 12 pts
25-Tremel Gilot, SF - 6/14 fg, 7/9 ft, 8 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 19 pts
33-Joe Tillman, C - 5/8 fg, 4/4 ft, 7 reb, 1 blk, 14 pts
44-Marcus Sikes, PF - 5/9 fg, 3/4 ft, 14 reb, 5 ast, 13 pts
5-Antoine Lee, G - 2/3 fg, 7/8 ft, 5 reb, 1 ast, 11 pts
34-Sam Attah, F - 1/3 fg, 3 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk, 2 pts
team rebounds: 1
Totals: 23/46 fg (.500), 29/33 ft (.879), 43 reb, 16 ast, 2 blk, 5 stl, 76 pts
3-pt fg (1): Wilson
Intentional Foul: Sikes
Fouled Out: Sikes 0.2 secs left
Turnovers (30): Green 10, Wilson 5, Gilot 4, Sikes 4, Lee 4, Attah 3
Chaffey Panthers 77:
5-Vince Alvarado, PG - 3/5 fg, 2/2 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 10 pts
11-Bobby Kovach, C - 1/3 fg, 1/2 ft, 4 reb, 1 blk, 1 stl, 3 pts
15-Ronnie Bullock, PF - 3/8 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 reb, 2 stl, 8 pts
22-Alwyn Jordan, SF - 2/8 fg, 1 reb, 1 ast, 5 pts
30-Mike Moreno, SG - 0/2 fg, 2 reb, 1 ast, 0 pts
4-T.J. Smith, G - 3/12 fg, 6/6 ft, 9 reb, 2 ast, 5 stl, 12 pts
12-Larry Dew, G - 4/9 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 2 ast, 2 stl, 9 pts
24-Christen Massengale, F - 3/7 fg, 4/4 ft, 2 reb, 1 stl, 11 pts
32-Chris Brown, F - 7/15 fg, 3/3 ft, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl, 18 pts
34-Jason McClure, C - 0/4 fg, 1/2 ft, 3 reb, 1 blk, 1 pt
44-Kyle Sears, C - 0/1 fg, 0/2 ft, 1 ast, 1 blk, 0 pts
team rebounds: 5
Totals: 26/74 fg (.351), 18/25 ft (.720), 35 reb, 10 ast, 3 blk, 15 stl, 77 pts
3-pt fg (7): Alvarado 2, Bullock 2, Jordan, Massengale, Brown
Technical Foul: Sears
Fouled Out: McClure 5:30 left
Turnovers (14): Smith 4, Alvarado 2, Bullock 2, Moreno 2, Kovack, Jordan, Brown, team
Halftime Score: Mt. San Jacinto 43, Chaffey 38
Updated Records: Chaffey 17-4, 2-0 in conf; Mt. San Jacinto 13-8, 1-1 in conf
note: Kovach made a FT with 0.2 secs left after a controversial foul to break a 76-76 tie
