Boys basketball: Bowman escapes with win at East Chicago
By Dave Melton Post-Tribune correspondent February 19, 2013 11:08PM
Bowman's Davon Dillard takes the ball from East Chicago's Anfernee Brown in the second quarter at East Chicago Tuesday night. | Jeffrey D. Nicholls~Sun-Times Media Photo caption
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Updated: March 21, 2013 6:46AM
EAST CHICAGO — It had to end this way, didn’t it?
A Bowman Academy-East Chicago Central matchup had to come down to the final possession.
With EC trailing 61-60 with 18.5 seconds left on the clock, EC of course, looked to guard Hyron Edwards to handle the ball.
“We knew they were going to converge on Edwards,” said EC coach Abe Brown. “Jeremiah did a great job of going straight to the basket but he just missed the floater. Then some other people had shots at it, too.”
Edwards was tripled-teamed by the Bowman defense before finding Ochoa in the paint. After Ochoa’s shot rimmed out, a series of mad scrambles and tough bounces — at least in the eyes of those from East Chicago — followed.
Overall, the Cardinals attempted six shots from inside the paint in those final 18 seconds, with the crowd — and Brown — gasping every time the ball hit the rim. But none of the shots fell, giving Bowman the 61-60 victory.
“We’d just lost a game to (Indianapolis) Howe like that,” said Bowman (11-9) coach Marvin Rea, referring to the Eagles’ 74-73 loss on Friday night. “We must have woken up on the right side of the bed today. We didn’t have many bounces go our way this weekend.”
Another bounce that went the Eagles way came on the previous possession, with EC (9-10) ahead 60-59 at that point. Sophomore Davon Dillard was found open in the paint and bounced in a jumper for what proved to be the game-winning points. Dillard finished with a game-high 27 points and 11 rebounds, including 10 points in the fourth quarter.
“This was a statement game,” he said. “It was nice, with the game on the line, to be able to get a ball up. Even when things aren’t going right it’s nice to be able to trust your teammates.”
The 47 minutes that proceeded the thrilling final minute were just as close as the game’s conclusion. The lead changed hands 19 times, with 10 of them coming in the last quarter. The point differential between the two squads was never more than six points.
Said Rea: “You want to be in close games. When you’re preparing for the playoffs, winning by 20 or 30 points gives kids a false sense of security. You want that intensity going into sectionals. You want to see what your kids are made of.”
Edwards finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, six steals and three assists for EC.
