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GMC Hoops Summaries--February 12, 2010
Week Eight--Prime Time Shootout

Missed Free Throws Costs St. Patrick's In Thriller Against Oak Hill, 79-78

By Greg Machos
February 12, 2010

UNION, NJ--The third game of the 2010 Prime Time Shootout quadrupleheader over at Kean University featured two of the nation's elite basketball programs. Oak Hill Academy from Virginia, and St. Patrick's of Elizabeth. The Warriors entered the game ranked seventh nationally by the USA Today while St. Pat's came in ranked fifth. It had already been an eventful day for the Celtics as they learned that the NJSIAA had banned them from this year's state tournament for holding unauthorized practices, and put them on two year's probation with any violations occurring during that time resulting in another ban from the tourney. In addition, their coach, Kevin Boyle was suspended for three games although he would coach in this contest.

Although there was a considerable delay before the game was started, and numerous TV timeouts that were lengthy in duration due to ESPNU's coverage of the contest, both teams put on a great show for the large crowd in attendance. There were a total of 15 lead changes and 8 ties while neither team had a lead bigger than seven points. The game was so good that the Prime Time Shootout Awards Committee gave out two MVP honors for each team. However, there would only be one victor. Doron Lamb made one of two from the foul line with 9.4 seconds remaining to give Oak Hill Academy a 79-78 lead. St. Patrick's had a chance to tie, and even win when junior guard, Derrick Gordon stepped to the line with 0.4 left on the clock, but he missed both and the Warriors emerged victorious.

St. Patrick's was led by the tandem of Duke bound senior guard, Kyrie Irving, who scored 28 points on six field goals, five threes, and a foul shot, and junior 6'7" forward, Michael Gilchrist, who also scored a game high 28 points on nine field goals and ten foul shots. Maryland bound guard, Pe'Shon Howard led Oak Hill with a team high 19 points on four field goals, three treys, and two foul shots while Lamb and Roscoe Smith each had 18 points. Lamb got his 18 on five field goals, a three pointer, and five foul shots while Smith made six field goals and two threes. Chase Plummer also scored in double figures for the Celtics with 15 points on six field goals and three foul shots while Juwan Staten contributed for Oak Hill with 11 points. Each team outscored the other in two of the four periods played. OHA won the first two quarters while St. Pat's won the last two.

Both teams each had 24 field goals while Oak Hill had six threes and St. Pat's had five. The Celtics made more free throws (15-13), but were only 3 of 8 over the final 5:46 of the contest. Gilchrist and Irving earned team co-MVP honors for St. Pat's while Howard and Smith earned team co-MVP honors for Oak Hill. It was a very faced past game that showcased some of the best athletes in the country. Several may even go on to play in the NBA at some point. The Warriors, which were last seen by GMC Hoops two years ago against Piscataway at the RAC in the 2008 Prime Time Shootout, jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three pointer from the right wing. Gilchrist then responded for St. Pat's with a pair of free throws for a 3-2 OHA lead. The Warriors then got a steal for a layup to go back ahead by three before the Celtics made one of two at the line, and got a layup to tie things up at 5-5.

St. Patrick's then scored five of the next seven points for a 10-7 lead, but Oak Hill responded with a 5-0 burst including a three pointer to go ahead 12-10. Gordon then tied the game up again with a layup that made the score, 12-12 at the 2:20 mark of the first period. Senior 7'1" center, Martins Abele put Oak Hill back in front with one of two free throws at that point for a 13-12 lead. St. Pat's then went back out in front with a field goal at the two minute mark before Oak Hill finished the quarter with the final three points for a 17-14 lead heading into the second. After the Celtics opened the second with a free throw, the Warriors got a basket at the 7:09 mark for a 19-15 lead. Gilchrist then connected on a foul line jumper at the 6:35 mark for a 19-17 OHA lead, but the Warriors responded with four of the next six points including a field goal by Howard for a 23-19 edge at the 5:54 mark.

Irving got himself going with a three pointer from way out on the left wing to pull the Celtics to within one at 23-22 with 5:45 to go in the first half. Irving then picked up a loose ball and scored to put St. Pat's in front at 24-23 with 5:04 to go in the half. There would be three more lead changes by both teams including one on a three pointer by Howard that made the score, 28-26 in favor of Oak Hill at the 4:23 mark. Smith then added a bucket to put the Warriors up by four at 30-26, but Gilchrist pulled St. Pat's within two at 30-28 with two free throws at the 3:52 mark. OHA got another score to go back up by four, but Gilchrist then made a two handed flush for a 32-30 Warrior lead with 3:10 to play in the first half. On its next possession, Oak Hill went back up by four at 34-30 on two free throws by Baye Keita with 2:52 left in the half.

Lamb then followed that up with a three pointer from the left wing to give the Warriors its biggest lead of the game at 37-30 with 2:25 to play before the intermission. St. Patrick's then ended the half with four of the final six points including a layup by Gordon from Gilchrist to make the score, 39-34, in favor of Oak Hill Academy at the break. Looking at the halftime scoring, Howard led Oak Hill with 13 points while Lamb chipped in with 9. Leading all scorers at the break was Irving, who had 15 points while Gilchrist chipped in for St. Pat's with 11. OHA opened up the second half with a score for a 41-34 lead before the Celtics rallied back with a 9-0 spurt to take the lead back at 43-41 with 5:32 left in the third. Sparking the run was a Plummer layup, and then Gilchrist, who had the other seven points in the run, got a basket and a foul at the 6:46 mark, a dunk, and then a three point play at the 5:32 mark for the two point lead.

The lead went back and fourth a few more times as Oak Hill went back out in front on a basket and a foul for a three point play by senior forward, John Garrett-Baron at the 3:54 mark. St. Patrick's then went on a 10-2 tear including scores by Plummer and Gilchrist for a 56-50 lead, its biggest of the game. The Warriors battled back, however, by ending the quarter with a 12-4 spurt to take a 62-60 lead. By this time, there were already 15 lead changes and six ties in the contest. More appeared to be on the horizon, but Oak Hill pretty much controlled things in the fourth until St. Pat's rallied down the stretch. Gilchrist opened the final period with a jumper that tied the score at 62-62 with just 15 seconds gone by before Oak Hill got the next four points. Plummer then made two free throws at the 5:46 mark to pull the Celtics within two at 66-64.

The Warriors made one of two at the line with 5:04 remaining to go up by three at 67-64, but Gordon gave the Celtics a chance to tie with a basket as he was fouled with 4:57 to play. However, the junior missed the bonus free throw, and Oak Hill remained in front, 67-66. OHA then scored seven of the next ten points for a 74-69 lead before Gilchrist came up with a basket while he was fouled, but he also missed the bonus free throw, and the score stood at 74-71 with 2:28 to go. The Celtics continued to battle back as they scored six of the next ten points all of them on two threes by Irving to draw within one at 78-77 with 1:09 to play in regulation. Gordon then tied the game by making one of two from the line at the 54.1 second mark. Lamb then broke the tie by making one of two with under ten seconds to play, and that would be the difference as Gordon missed the first free throw, and then after an OHA timeout, missed the second with less than a second left.

With the 79-78 victory, Oak Hill Academy improved to 25-2 on the season while St. Patrick's dropped to 18-3. View the photo slideshow of some of the action from the Prime Time Shootout. Video highlights and analysis will be forthcoming in the blog.

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