|
By
Kevin Devaney Jr. The Journal News •
February 10, 2008
TRENTON, N.J. - When Mount Vernon took
the court yesterday at the Sovereign Bank Arena, it had already locked
up the No. 1 seed in the Section 1 Class AA tournament and were cemented
as the favorites to win its third straight title.
By the time the Knights left, they'd
gathered enough momentum to carry them much farther.
Mount Vernon freshman Jabarie Hinds
hit a free throw with 3.5 seconds remaining as the two-time state
champions pulled out an impressive 74-73 victory over Philadelphia power
Roman Catholic in the Prime Time Shootout.
"This game definitely boosts up our
confidence," Knights senior Kevin Jones said. "We know that any team in
our section can knock us off when we're having a bad day. But hopefully
this win will carry us through the playoffs."
The Knights (17-3) enter Friday's
opening round on the heels of arguably their best, most complete
performance of the season. It was certainly needed against the defending
Philadelphia Catholic League champs, especially in a game that featured
20 lead changes and was tied 11 times.
Roman Catholic's Maalik Wayns hit a
3-pointer with 1:16 to play to tie the score at 71-71. Wayns, a junior
who has committed to Villanova, scored 26 points, including six
3-pointers.
Following a pair of Vaughn Allen free
throws, Roman's Will Kirkland sank two with 57 seconds to go tie the
score again.
With no shot clock being used, Mount
Vernon ran time down to 10 seconds when Cimmino signaled a play into
Hinds, who was running the point.
"I called his number," Cimmino said.
"The play we ran, it doesn't necessarily mean he's going to shoot it.
But I just liked his ability at that time to get into the paint."
Hinds, once again showing the guts he
has despite being just 14 years old, took the defender one-on-one and
drew the foul. Roman called a timeout in an attempt to freeze Hinds.
"As soon as I got the break, I thought
about going one-on-one," Hinds said. "There was no pressure (at the
line). I just told myself 'Knock the free throws down.' That's it.
"I'm not surprised he (shot it),"
Cimmino said. "I was very pleased. Anything he does out there, in a game
that doesn't count for us, is an investment for us for when it does
count."
Hinds calmly sank the first but missed
the second, which actually worked to Mount Vernon's advantage. By the
time Roman (18-4) gathered the rebound and called timeout, there was
only 1.2 seconds left. A full-court pass was batted away at halfcourt as
Mount Vernon hung on for its 11th win in 12 games.
"Jabarie is a freshman, but he's a
smart freshman," Jones said. "He broke his man down. Coach trusted him
with the ball and he made a smart decision. I'm not surprised he took
the shot. Jabarie is a gamer."
Jones came out in the first quarter
with a fury. The game's most valuable player scored 16 of his game-high
27 points in the opening period, connecting on 6 of 8 shots.
Mount Vernon, though, couldn't stop
Wayns. The 6-1 guard hit five 3-pointers in the first quarter as the
teams were tied at 22-22 after the period. Roman hit 12 3s in the game.
Ketema Brooks and Hinds did a solid
job limiting Wayns' looks from behind the arc after the first quarter,
and Sherrod Wright carried the Knights through a rough stretch before
the half. Wright finished with 22 points.
Mount Vernon will begin its quest for
its eighth sectional title in nine seasons on Friday at home. The
opponent will be released tomorrow night.
Given the way the Knights have played
of late, it might not even matter.
"I think we're getting better,"
Cimmino said. "We still have room to improve." |
