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Peoria's title hopes bounce out in overtime

Tucson Salpointe earns 4A trophy in 54-48 thriller

Posted 2/28/20

Sometimes, the underdog story has a bittersweet conclusion. And sometimes, good shots simply will not fall.

Top seed Peoria scrambled to tie Saturday's 4A boys basketball final against #2 Tucson Salpointe in the final four seconds.

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WEST VALLEY PREPS

Peoria's title hopes bounce out in overtime

Tucson Salpointe earns 4A trophy in 54-48 thriller

Posted

Sometimes, the underdog story has a bittersweet conclusion. And sometimes, good shots simply will not fall.

Top seed Peoria scrambled to tie Saturday's 4A boys basketball final against #2 Tucson Salpointe Catholic in the final four seconds. But in the extra period the Panthers went as cold as the air inside Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix - missing all seven shots.

Lancers senior wing Grant Weitman broke the tie by grabbing an offensive rebound and banking in a follow up. Peoria senior guard Isaac Monroe blocked a layup attempt but was unlucky at the other end.

The Panthers' leading scorer took a layup and two three-point shots in overtime, only to see all three spin halfway in and kick out. Salpointe's passing made the Panthers pay for overplaying defense, finding senior guard Braden Miller for a layup and setting up two trips to the foul line, making 2 of 4 to wrap a 54-48 state title win.

"It was a matter of who made shots down the stretch. We had good looks. They didn't fall. We over-helped (on defense) and Salpointe did what they do and capitalized on it. Nearly every over-help we had, they hit a three," Peoria interim coach Patrick Battillo said. "We had great looks that were in and out."

Peoria (26-4) lost junior forward Kevin Kogbara on his fifth foul with 1:45 remaining in overtime. Losing the only true big man in the game - who has 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in regulation - changed the game's dynamics.

Kogbara sent the game to overtime, hitting a layup with 4 seconds left ater his teammates clawed to keep the Panthers alive. Monroe drove across the lane and missed a leaning layup and Salpointe (30-1) rebounded, but senior guard DeAndre Petty knocked the ball up into the air.

Petty tipped to Monroe along the baseline and he quickly fed Kogbara in the paint.

"It was amazing effort to get to overtime. I can't say enough about how proud I am with that hustle and Kevin making that shot," Battillo said. "(Petty) was there all day."

Once again, Petty lead all players with 14 rebounds. Salpointe senior Justin Gainey was his doppleganger as a glass clearing guard, lead the Lancers with 11 boards.

Gainey struggled from the field, but hit a crucial pull-up jumper in the lane to grab a 47-46 lead in the final two minutes. However, Weitman and senior guard Evan Nelson drove the preseason 4A favorite to the trophy in their last shot after being the 2018 runner up and 2019 semifinalist.

Nelson  led all scorers with 17 points and added six rebounds. Weitman often battled the bigger Kogbara in the paint and finished with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.

"Two guys played in the state championship game two years ago. And a bunch of guys played in the final four game against Shadow last year," Salpointe coach Jim Reynolds said. "We had a focus since the beginning of the year based on how we finished last year and who we had back and how we played through the summer. I don't want to say it was a surprise, but it's obviously very difficult."

The Lancers had to adjust after an early Peoria blitz. Monroe and Kogbara stole passes and drove for layups in the early minutes.

Kogbara added a swat and Monroe finished the sequence for the off-hand layup. The Panthers led 8-3.

"They're a great team. their defense is really outstanding. We had to have a lot of grit and detemination at halftime in particular to come out and get the lead back." Reynolds said.

Salpointe's five senior guards stormed back to lead 14-10 as Nelson drained a trey just before the end of the first quarter. After shooting 14-22 from distance in a semifinal rout of St. Mary's, Peoria only attempted two in an unfamilar arena - missing both.

When senior Jake Cioe hit a corner three and his teammates forced a five-count the Lancers led 17-10 and seemed on the verge of taking control. But they would only score five points the rest of the half.

"The adjustments they made were impressive. We knew there would be jitters coming out and we were off the game plan right away - a lot of stuff was off script. Then we made some adjustments and held them to eight in the second quarter, which is impressive," Battillo said. "We did not focus heavily on going away from threes because that's what got us here. But we were very mindful that it was going to look and feel different. At first we weren't playing to our strengths."

Monroe scored 10 points in the half-ending 19-5 run, sinking two treys, including a 22-footer he stepped into just before the horn. Freshman guard Andrew Camacho hit the team's first three-ball off Petty's drive and kick.

Peoria took a 29-22 lead into the break, hitting 54 percent of its shots. Six steals also helped the cause.

"We were doing what we do offensively and not playing iso ball," Battillo said.

Salpointe put the clamps down defensively in the third quarter, starting with a 6-0 run. Kogbara drove and kicked to Camacho for a corner three and 32-28 advantage.

The Lancers quickly tied it at 32, but Petty responded with a spinning leaner and stop and pop jumper to put Peoria on top 36-33.

Junior Tommy Irish canned a three to tie. He was the only bench player to score on either team.

Kogbara drove to the foul line and pulled up for a leaning jumper at the buzzer, allowing Peoria to take a 40-38 lead into the fourth.

"Those five starters, my gosh, there's not a weak link in that group. They're all really good. And that freshman, whoa," Reynolds said. "To win means a lot. I love these guys. They're smart, work hard and are coachable. They're great kids and I'm so happy for them."

Another Cioe three and Weitman drive had the Panthers teetering. So their freshman took over.

Camacho scored on a baseline drive, then sank a floater with his off hand to make it 44-43.

"I was very confident in our team. I reminded them that Salpointe is a quality team and they were going to have a push back," Battillo said. "We get three more years with Andrew and we're in a great position. This is an experience you can't replace - and we now have it."

Gainey stole the ball and Nelson made an offensive rebound and follow to regain the lead.  Kogbara then scored on a crosscourt feed from Monroe.

Battillo could not ask for much more - except for a free throw or two. Peoria did not shoot one in 36 minutes. Several of the Panthers' drives ended in charging fouls or traveling calls as Salpointe stood its ground.

"At the end of the day, all you can ask for is what they gave. I am extremely proud of this group and what we accomplished this year," Battillo said. "We were attacking. We just weren't getting put on the line. But we just do our job. We can't control calls. That stat is impressive in a bad way."