There were three games on Thursday and each was a super-tight conference thriller. We begin with an inner-city rivalry and potential playoff preview:
PHILADELPHIA 72 HOLY FAMILY 71
Nick Schlitzer knocked down the first of two free throws with 4.8 seconds to play, snapping a 71-71 tie and lifting Philadelphia past crosstown rival Holy Family at the Gallagher Center for its most impressive win of the season, leap-frogging it guests for second place in the CACC South as a result. The senior guard led all scorers with 21 points (16 in the second half) and seven rebounds for the Rams, who trailed 13-4 out of the gate and never led the entirety of the first half, which ended at 32-29. The second stanza was full of dramatic moments, with 10 ties, seven lead changes and only two occasions when the spread was more than four points – the last occurrence at the 9:37 mark after a Reggie Charles lay-up. Schlitzer followed with a 3-pointer 31 seconds later and the game was played within a single possession the rest of the way. Philly U. – which also received 11 points apiece from Peter Alexis (11 rebounds) and Derek Johnson (seven) – was up 71-68 with 1:13 left when Charles hit the first of three freebies in four attempts, knotting the count for the final time with just over 35 ticks remaining. Playing for the final shot, essentially, Andre Gibbs (seven points) attempted a go-ahead lay-up from the left block but it was rejected by Isaiah Gans (his second swat, to go along with 17 points) and recovered in the corner by Schlitzer, who was fouled to set up the one-and-one that decided the affair as the Tigers failed to get a winning shot off against the Rams’ full-court presure. Marvin Crawford was Holy Family's high man with 18 points (6-9 FG, 3-5 from distance), with Charles (17) and Hunter Wysocki (10 off the bench) also reaching double figures. Holy Family – which saw a four-game win streak go by the boards – shot at a higher clip (48%-43%) and made twice as many triples (10-31 to 3-15) while only attempting 21 of its 52 shots inside the arc.
BLOOMFIELD 106 CONCORDIA 97 (OT)
Nick Davidson hit the go-ahead jumper with 2:25 to go in overtime and Bloomfield limited the Concordia offense to just three free throws in the extra session in earning a hard-fought victory in North Jersey that lifted the Bears into second place in the mediocre CACC North. The hosts battled back to climb out of a 58-43 second-half hole, then had to overcome a 91-85 deficit with just over two minutes on the clock, using a 7-0 spurt to nudge in front 92-91 on a Matt Hall jumper with 39 seconds showing. Jalen Heath – who racked up 23 points (5-9 from deep) and six rebounds – countered with a go-ahead 3-ball with 10 seconds to play before Marvin Williams (24 points, 4-6 from 3, five assists) equalized at the line three seconds later. Tshyrad Oates (17 points, 10 rebounds) had a shot for the win, but his trifecta was off the mark, necessitating OT. After both teams exchanged a foul shot apiece, Davidson – who finished with eight points and nine rebounds off the bench – buried his clutch 3-pointer, then added a free throw to make it a two-possession game with 1:04 left, commencing a 6-for-8 BC foul-shooting output the remainder of the game, sealing the deal. Hall notched 27 points, nine rebounds and four assists for Bloomfield, which also boasted strong individual performances from the “spectrum” duo of Clarence White (26 points, 9-11 FG, 11 rebounds, four assists in a reserve role) and Claude Blue (18 points, 9-13 FG, 11 boards, three blocks). Jamie Holder erupted for a career-high 33 points (11-20 FG, 10-11 FT) as well as eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in a losing effort for the Clippers, who flip-flop with the Bears in the standings, dropping to fourth place. The game featured 13 ties, 12 lead changes and red-hot second-half shooting (BC 63%, CC 56%). The Bears were the superior rebounding team: 58-42.
AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL 76 FRANKLIN PIERCE 70 (OT)
Bonus basketball was also on the docket in New Hampshire as American International outlasted Franklin Pierce, doubling last season's win total of nine and inching closer to first place in the NE-10 Southwest. Marcus Porter generated 25 points (11-18 FG), including the go-ahead 3-pointer 24 seconds into overtime that game the Yellow Jackets the lead for keeps. Cameron Dobbs added 22 points for the winners, who also saw Bobby Harris stuff the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and seven steals. A very close game most of the way, neither side led by more than five points until a 13-0 second-half surge flipped a 39-35 Franklin Pierce lead into a 48-39 AIC advantage – the widest margin of the night following a Dobbs three with 9:21 remaining. It was 58-53 inside of the two-minute warning when Ryen Vilmont converted a lay-up and 3-pointer (his sixth in 17 tries) within half a minute to knot the count at 58-58 with 1:15 to go. Both sides turned it over the rest of the period, with a Harris steal and missed 3-point jumper at the buzzer sending the game to OT. Vilmont recorded 34 points and six boards for the Ravens, who also landed Paul Becklens (12 points, 2-2 from long range, seven assists) and Tyler Iacuone (11 points, eight caroms) in double digits, though 36% overall shooting and an 18-11 turnover disparity offset a 12-6 doubling from beyond the arc and slim 44-43 rebounding edge. With the setback, Pierce is now a game behind Bentley for the final playoff spot in the rugged NE-10 Northeast.