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Kevin Devaney Jr. • The Journal News •
January 14, 2008
 NEW
YORK - The only thing that could make a remarkable fourth-quarter
comeback even better was doing it at Madison Square Garden.
That's just what Mount Vernon did
yesterday, rallying from 14 points down with less than six minutes
remaining to stun Paterson (N.J.) Catholic for a 66-60 victory in the
Nike Super 6 before a roaring crowd at the Garden.
Sherrod Wright scored 13 of his 20
points in the fourth quarter, and MVP Kevin Jones recorded 25 points, 19
rebounds and four blocks for the two-time Class AA state champions.
"We never gave up," Wright said. "We
kept on believing that if we played hard, we'd be able to pull it out. I
think it motivated everyone. It started with defense and it led to us
coming together on offense."
Mount Vernon (8-2) seemed destined for
a brutal defeat after a miserable third quarter. The offense managed
just four points in the first six minutes of the second half on 2-of-10
shooting with six turnovers.
Lance Brown scored eight his 16 points
in the third as Paterson went up by as many as 15 points. A layup by
Trevor Clemmings put the Cougars ahead 54-40 with just under six minutes
remaining.
"Everyone was really getting
frustrated," said Jones, who has signed with West Virginia. "Our shots
weren't falling, and I was just telling everybody not to give up and
that we could get through it. Everybody stuck together, and we started
making some plays."
The complexion of the game changed on
Mount Vernon's next possession. Jones, who hadn't shot well in the first
three quarters, knocked down a mid-range jumper. He then stole the
ensuing inbounds and buried a 3-pointer.
Freshman Jabarie Hinds later hit a
jumper as the Knights scored eight straight points, which Jones capped
by again stealing an inbounds pass and throwing down an emphatic
one-handed dunk, making it 56-54 with 3:17 to play.
Paterson created some breathing room
with a Fuquan Edwin dunk and two Wayne Mack free throws to go ahead by
six with 2:49 remaining.
But Mount Vernon responded. Hinds
again started a rally with a driving layup and after another steal in
the backcourt, and Vaughn Allen helped close the gap. After making a
free throw, Allen grabbed a loose ball, and made a layup to make it
60-59.
Paterson had a chance to extend its
lead when it broke Mount Vernon's full-court press and Clemmings got the
ball alone under the basket. But the 6-foot-7 sophomore was rejected by
Jones streaking down the court. Jones tracked down the ball and pushed
it up the floor to Wright, who drained a 3-pointer to give the Knights
the lead.
“I threw Sherrod a little curveball in
the fourth quarter. I pointed out somebody sitting in the stands,” said
Mount Vernon coach Bob Cimmino, referring to North Carolina coach Roy
Williams, who was sitting courtside. “Sherrod was born in North Carolina
and has a great desire to one day play there. I pointed out the coach.”
Wright made a pretty driving layup to
put the Knights up by four with 57 seconds left, before Allen sealed it
after Paterson’s next possession, grabbing his sixth rebound of the
fourth quarter.
“We just didn’t have the same
intensity down the stretch that they did,” Cougars coach Damon Wright
said. “They made the runs that counted.”
Allen, Hinds and junior Sean Harris
came off the bench and played almost the entire fourth quarter. Allen, a
6-5 junior, made as big an impact down the stretch with four offensive
rebounds. He had six points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the game.
"We have four or five interchangeable
parts, so they're really on a yo-yo string with the coaching staff,"
Cimmino said. "If they don't do what they're supposed to do, they're
going to get yanked. Vaughn brought such an electricity with him. We
survived a few bad defensive possessions with him, but he rewarded us in
the end." |
