Posted by
Tim Drain
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Sun, Mar 9, 2008
- [
Men's Basketball
]
KILGORE — Christopher Jones drained a 3-pointer with 3.2 seconds left in triple overtime to send eighth-seeded Panola College to an astonishing 123-121 playoff win over league champion Tyler on Saturday night at Masters Gymnasium.
Region XIV Men’s Tournament
Apaches Drop Game In 3OTs
REGION XIV BASKETBALL
— Staff Photo By Herb Nygren Jr.
REGION XIV TOURNAMENT: Tyler Junior College’s Joseph Fulce puts up a shot against Panola Saturday in a Region XIV Tournament quarterfinal game at Kilgore College’s Masters Gymnasium. The Apaches lost 123-121 in triple overtime.
By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer
Staff Writer
Tyler Morning Telegraph
TJC’s Malcolm Thomas was called for a charging foul at the start of the next possession, and Panola’s Papa Oppong hit two free throws to make it 123-120 with still 3.2 on the clock.
TJC’s Malcolm Thomas was called for a charging foul at the start of the next possession, and Panola’s Papa Oppong hit two free throws to make it 123-120 with still 3.2 on the clock.
The Ponies, who wanted no part of a last-second shot attempt by the Apaches, fouled TJC star Jimmy Butler just inside the midcourt stripe with three-tenths of a second remaining.
Butler made the first foul shot and then purposely missed the second attempt as TJC needed a tip-in to get to a fourth overtime. The ball glanced off the front rim and into the hands of Oppong to end the epic Region XIV quarterfinals battle.
Butler, a 6-6 freshman from Tomball, was heroic in defeat.
Playing more point guard than wing, Butler poured in 43 points as he almost willed the Apaches to victory. He was 12-for-26 from the field, 16-for-21 from the free throw line, and collected 10 rebounds for a double-double.
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TJC’s impact trio, called the “Three Js,” were broken apart in overtime when freshman Joseph Fulce (29 points) and sophomore Jamie Vanderbeken (seven points) fouled out in the first overtime.
The No. 1 seed Apaches (25-4) ended what had been their best season since 1981, and well short of their ultimate goal of Hutchinson, Kan.
Ironically, TJC’s only playoff win of the past eight years was when the Apaches upset a No. 1 seed, Paris, in 2006. The Apaches haven’t made the national tournament since 1996.
This team seemed cut out to make a run at Hutch with co-stars Butler and Fulce, and with the emergence of Vanderbeken.
Panola had other ideas, despite trailing by 12 at halftime and by eight (91-83) with 2:37 to play in regulation.
The Ponies made a 13-5 run to begin the second half, and the teams traded baskets in a run-and-gun style the remainder of regulation.
It was actually the favored Apaches who forced the first overtime on two Butler free throws.
“Panola played a great game. They definitely earned the victory,” said TJC head coach Mike Marquis. “We had some plays that we didn’t make to put it away and that’s part of life.
“I just told the guys we had a great year and we’re so proud of them. All of TJC and Tyler can be proud of our team and the way they conducted themselves all year long. Unfortunately, we don’t get to play any more basketball with this team.”
Panola (18-13), swept badly by the Apaches during the regular season, advanced to play Navarro in the regional semifinals at 8 p.m. Sunday.
“They didn’t back down or quit in this one … and we just had a hard time guarding them,” Marquis said. “We tried man-to-man, 2-3 zone, triangle-and-two, and we just could not get the big stop. The couple of times we got big stops we didn’t finish it off with the rebound.”
Panola had four different 20-point scorers. Fran Urli, a 6-8 freshman from Croatia, gave the Ponies a huge lift in the paint with 23 points off the bench. Urli, who came in averaging 5.3 points per game, knocked down 13 of 14 free throws.
Still, TJC owned the stripe as the Apaches converted 42 of 52 foul shots.
More times than not, it appeared TJC was going to pull out a win.
More times than not, it appeared TJC was going to pull out a win.
The Apaches had a four-point lead with 28.6 seconds left in the first extra session, which ended up tied after Oppong drilled a 3-pointer with 4.5 on the clock.
Neither team scored in the last minute and 49 seconds of the second overtime as Hampton was unable to make game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Apaches led 120-116 in the third overtime. Christopher Jones scored on a drive to cut the deficit to two, and Butler missed a pair of free throws with 23.5 seconds to play.
Region XIV Men’s Tournament
Quarterfinals
Panola 123, Tyler 121, 3OT
PANOLA (18-13) — Milton Burton 0-0 0-0 0, Aamir McCleary 9-21 3-4 22, Fran Urli 5-6 13-14 23, Justin Dennis 5-12 2-2 15, Papa Oppong 7-14 5-6 22, Christian Jones 1-1 2-3 4, Christopher Jones 7-15 3-4 20, Brandon Webb 3-3 1-4 7, Elijah Cotton 4-9 0-1 8, Chris Lewis 1-3 0-0 2, Chris Williams 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 42-86 29-38 123.
TYLER (25-4) – Tyler Jefferson 2-3 2-2 6, Reggie Nelson 0-1 0-0 0, William Kossangue 2-6 5-6 10, Alan Branch 0-0 0-0 0, Randall Hampton 2-10 2-2 8, Jamie Vanderbeken 1-6 5-6 7, Malcolm Thomas 5-16 6-8 18, Chris Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph Fulce 11-19 6-7 29, Jimmy Butler 12-26 16-21 43. Totals 35-87 42-52 121.
Halftime – Tyler 50-38. Regulation – 93-93. First OT – 107-107. Second OT – 114-114.
3-point goals – Panola 10-27 (McCleary 1-5, Dennis 3-7, Oppong 3-7, Christopher Jones 3-6, Cotton 0-1, Lewis 0-1); Tyler 9-27 (Kossangue 1-1, Hampton 2-9, Vanderbeken 0-1, Thomas 2-7, Fulce 1-3, Butler 3-6). Rebounds – Panola 44 (Oppong 10); Tyler 50 (Butler 10). Assists – Panola 21 (Christopher Jones 10); Tyler 11 (Hampton 5). Total fouls – Panola 39; Tyler 27. Fouled out – Dennis, Webb, Cotton, Kossangue, Vanderbeken, Thomas, Fulce. Est.Att. – 1,000.
Panola 123, Tyler 121, 3OT
PANOLA (18-13) — Milton Burton 0-0 0-0 0, Aamir McCleary 9-21 3-4 22, Fran Urli 5-6 13-14 23, Justin Dennis 5-12 2-2 15, Papa Oppong 7-14 5-6 22, Christian Jones 1-1 2-3 4, Christopher Jones 7-15 3-4 20, Brandon Webb 3-3 1-4 7, Elijah Cotton 4-9 0-1 8, Chris Lewis 1-3 0-0 2, Chris Williams 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 42-86 29-38 123.
TYLER (25-4) – Tyler Jefferson 2-3 2-2 6, Reggie Nelson 0-1 0-0 0, William Kossangue 2-6 5-6 10, Alan Branch 0-0 0-0 0, Randall Hampton 2-10 2-2 8, Jamie Vanderbeken 1-6 5-6 7, Malcolm Thomas 5-16 6-8 18, Chris Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Joseph Fulce 11-19 6-7 29, Jimmy Butler 12-26 16-21 43. Totals 35-87 42-52 121.
Halftime – Tyler 50-38. Regulation – 93-93. First OT – 107-107. Second OT – 114-114.
3-point goals – Panola 10-27 (McCleary 1-5, Dennis 3-7, Oppong 3-7, Christopher Jones 3-6, Cotton 0-1, Lewis 0-1); Tyler 9-27 (Kossangue 1-1, Hampton 2-9, Vanderbeken 0-1, Thomas 2-7, Fulce 1-3, Butler 3-6). Rebounds – Panola 44 (Oppong 10); Tyler 50 (Butler 10). Assists – Panola 21 (Christopher Jones 10); Tyler 11 (Hampton 5). Total fouls – Panola 39; Tyler 27. Fouled out – Dennis, Webb, Cotton, Kossangue, Vanderbeken, Thomas, Fulce. Est.Att. – 1,000.