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Eagles, controversial calls sink Cards Tristan Baxter scored 12 points to lead a balanced attack as the Kennedy Charter Eagles defeated the Cardinal Newman Cardinals 49- 46 in overtime on Tuesday, January 6 in Columbia. The Eagles, a Charlotte- based team, played strong defense, keeping the Cardinals out of their comfort zone for most of the game. The Cardinals, coming off their win in the Pinecrest Christmas tournament, seemed sluggish and unsure of themselves at the beginning, and Kennedy Charter led 6- 4 after one period. Cardinal Newman started playing better in the second quarter, and at halftime the score was tied at 18. Cardinal Newman began the third period with a 6- 0 run, fueled by two easy baskets by senior guard Twan Alewine. Then a controversial play happened. With the score 26- 20 in favor of the Cardinals, a shot went over the backboard but did not hit anything. Senior Jake Motto grabbed the ball and made an uncontested lay up, as the referees did not stop the play when the ball went over the backboard. About 20 seconds later, on the next dead ball, the referees conferred and disallowed the basket, explaining that it was a correctable call at the first dead ball after the play. A couple of minutes later, Motto took an alley- oop pass from Zach Hrovat and converted it into a three- point play, giving the Cardinals their largest lead at 32- 24. But the Eagles scored the last five points of the quarter to trail only 34- 29 at the end of three. The Cardinals led by as many as six in the fourth quarter, only to have Jeremy Hopkins hit three three- pointers to give the Eagles a 41- 40 lead with 1:12 remaining. After an offensive rebound, Motto was fouled and made the first of two shots, tying the score. Kennedy Charter had the last shot, but it went awry, and in the scramble for the rebound, Motto got knocked to the floor, prompting a whistle as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter. Again the referees conferred, and this time they said the whistle occurred after the buzzer, nullifying the foul call and leading to overtime. The teams traded the lead three times in overtime, the last coming when Baxter hit a lay up with about a minute left to give the Eagles the lead for good. After missing a three- pointer, the Cardinals fouled Raheem Chisholm with eight seconds left. He missed the front end of a one- and- one. But the Cardinals did not get a good look at the basket, and Hrovat's three- pointer at the buzzer fell short. Motto led the Cardinals with 18 points, the only player in double figures for Cardinal Newman. Cardinal Newman hosts region rival St. Joseph's Friday, January 9. |
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