Red Lion takes down Wildcats in OT thriller
It was two clutch free throws that helped Red Lion defeat Dallastown in overtime 47-43 on Friday night.
The Lions were clinging to a 45-43 lead in the dying seconds of overtime and had missed five of their last six free throws when the Wildcats were forced to foul Gary Hunt. He stepped to the line and hit his first shot. The lead turned to a three-point advantage. His next shot went in, and the Lions had moved ahead by four.
“We missed four foul shots in a row there, but we made four big ones,” Lions head coach Steve Schmehl said. “Bennett (Frey) hit two and then Gary. It came to guarding the half court. I thought we did a great job of keeping them from penetrating all the way to the rim. When they did kick it out they missed some shots, but I thought we contested pretty well.”
The missed free throws nearly cost Red Lion several times in the four-minute overtime period, but Dallastown didn’t convert on its opportunities. Da ‘Trail Albert, who was instrumental in giving the Wildcats the lead in the fourth quarter, missed a 3-point shot that would have tied the game with 1:38 left and again missed a shot with 9.2 seconds left.
The Wildcats gave away the ball on a turnover under the net.
It was a subdued start to the final meeting of the regular season between the two Division I rivals. Red Lion ended the first quarter with a 9-7 lead before opening a 10-point advantage off back-to-back 3's by Jamel Foster to start the second. They tacked on 13 points in that quarter to go into halftime ahead 22-14.
The momentum shifted in the second half, and the Wildcats began their attack.
They chipped away and by the beginning of the fourth, they had pulled within two. That’s when a 3 from the corner by Albert sent the visiting fans into frenzy and gave Dallastown a 31-30 lead. The Lions took it right back, and Albert responded with another 3.
But Red Lion would answer back and force the game to overtime.
“The strength of that team is their guard play and how they defend,” Schmehl said. “They really got in us, and we turned the ball over a little bit and made some shaky decisions. It goes to overtime, and both teams are exhausted. Then it’s just a test of wills.
“I was just proud of my guys the way they fought.“
Dallastown (43)
Caldwell 2 0-0 2, Adam 0 0-0 0, B. Ward 0 0-0 0, A. Ward 0 1-2 1, McGlynn 0 5-6 5, Catchings 2 2-3 6, Atwood 0 0-0 0, Moore 0 0-0 0, Hoffman 0 0-0 0, Teyral 0 0-0 0, Michael Diaz 7 1-3 15, Da ‘Trail Albert 4 1-2 12, White 0 0-0 0, Writer 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15 10-16 43.
Red Lion (47)
George 0 0-0 0, Stabley 0 0-0 0, Gary Hunt 4 3-3 12, Frey 0 2-2 2, Boyd-Gillespie 1 3-6 5, Tyson 1 1-4 3, Jamel Foster 4 0-0 10, Uery 0 0-0 0, Schreckengast 6 1-2 15, Spellman 0 0-0 0, Burchett 0 0-0 0, Treible 0 0-0 0. Totals — 16 10-17 47.
Dallastown _ 7 _ 7 _ 13 _ 10_6_ — _ 43
Red Lion _ 9 _ 13 _ 8 _ 7 _10_ — _ 47
3-point goals — DT 3 (Albert 3), RL 5 (Schreckengast 2, Foster 2, Hunt).