La Salle outlasts Roman in overtime

When La Salle's Eddie Mitchell fouled out with 3 minutes, 3 seconds remaining in regulation, Explorers coach Joe Dempsey thought the game could have been lost.

"When he fouled out," Dempsey said, "I thought our chances were seriously hampered, to say the least."

After Mitchell, the Explorers' starting shooting guard, was forced to sit, La Salle allowed Roman Catholic to take a one-point lead with a minute to play.

But after weathering a strong fourth-quarter run by Roman, the host Explorers rattled off 12 points in overtime to salvage a 64-58 victory in a scrappy Catholic League contest Monday afternoon.

La Salle (10-2, 3-1 league) held a seven-point lead midway through the fourth. Just as Roman began to creep closer, Mitchell - a three-year starter who is committed to Rider next season - recorded his fifth foul and was forced out of the game with 12 points.

"We could have buckled," Dempsey said. "There wasn't a worse time that he could have fouled out."

Roman's fourth-quarter push was spearheaded by freshman Shep Garner, who dropped in eight points in the final period, including a game-tying three-pointer with 23.8 seconds to go. Garner finished with 15 points.

Garner is part of a young nucleus for the Cahillites, who in crunch time used a lineup that included two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior.

With 2.4 seconds remaining in the fourth, Roman turned the ball over on a botched inbounds play. La Salle got the ball back on its own baseline, but Steve Collins' three-point attempt fell short.

In overtime, La Salle senior Michael Poncia dropped in eight points, giving him 15 for the game. The guard went 3 for 5 from the foul line and hit the go-ahead three-pointer on the team's first possession.

Roman coach Chris McNesby said his squad (8-4, 3-1) began the game slowly and didn't play with the right pace until falling behind.

"We're a young group. . . . With our backs against the wall, we respond," McNesby said. "We get after guys, but we need to do that from the start. We need to create our tempo a little bit sooner."

The Cahillites shot a decent 8 for 18 from the field in the first half and trailed by 25-21 at the break only after another freshman, Rip Engel, hit a halfcourt jumper before the buzzer. Engel finished with 14 points, including four three-pointers.

Sophomore Amar Stukes had a game-high 17 points for La Salle. Joe Brown, a senior, contributed 13 points and eight rebounds. Senior Fortunat "Junior" Kangudi, Roman's 6-foot-8 center, played the entire game, scoring nine points, grabbing eight boards, and blocking four shots.

"We kept our poise. We're a senior-dominated team," Dempsey said after the win. "In the end, that might have been what carried us through."

Roman Catholic   8 13 13 18 6 - 58

La Salle   10 15 14 13 12 - 64

RC: Montana Mayfield 3, Britton Lee 11, Rip Engel 14, Fortunat Kangudi 9, Shafeek Taylor 6, Shep Garner 15.

LS: Steve Collins 7, Michael Poncia 15, Eddie Mitchell 12, Amar Stukes 17, Joe Brown 13.