By HUNTER O. LYLE
BRADFORD, PA – It’s hard to beat a team three times in a row. Especially when that third meeting comes in the finals.
That sentiment was proved exceptionally true for Port Allegany, who, after reaching their first-ever North Tier League Championship game, ultimately were unable to contain Cameron County, instead losing 47-38.
Meeting twice in the regular season, Port found the upper hand on both occasions. Fighting from behind each time, the Gators managed to pull out a 44-39 win on the initial matchup before sealing the sweep with a 40-35 win earlier this month.
“We blew both games. Whether it was poor execution down the stretch in game two, we had a four point lead with two minutes to go, the way we coach these kids, that should be a win every time,” said Cameron County head coach Marcus Brown. “In the first game, I had two guys get in some very early foul trouble, so we were playing musical chairs with guys off the bench just to hang in with (Port.) I think we blew both games and that’s on me.”
Without much need for a feeling out process, both teams hit the ground running. For the Red Raiders, their first punch came from long range. Facing the Gator’s 2-3 zone, Cam Co took advantage of the outside space they were allotted, seeing Nick Goss knock down a pair of triples out of the gate. For Port, however, their production came by grit and hustle.
Despite seeing Cam Co’s 6’7 man in the middle, Isaac Grovanz, lurking in the paint, the Gators relentlessly attacked the offensive glass. Coming away with several second chance opportunities, Port turned them into points at the rim or trips to the free throw line.
“Part of our game plan was that we figured Grovanz would be on (Isac) Amell and would let him shoot a little bit. If Grovanz is out guarding him, he’s out of the paint to rebound so we needed our guys to crash hard,” said Port Allegany head coach Kyle Babcock, “and that’s what we did. I felt like we controlled the offensive rebounds the best we have all year in the first half.”
As both teams traded blows, neither could gain a comfortable advantage through the first quarter, and although Cam Co led 14-13 heading into the next period of play, the stalemate continued.
With the introductions complete, the contest slowed to a crawl. While both teams continued to trade baskets and swap leads, the back-and-forth scoring footrace was replaced with grinding retaliatory strikes that boiled down to execution.
Deadset on their continued pursuit down low, the Gators continued to fearlessly challenge Cam Co’s rim defenders with post moves and pick-and-rolls that produced scattered results. The Red Raiders followed in suit, giving up looks from long range in favor of point blank layups and floaters as they began utilizing their bigs. Despite still firing off tick-for-tack, the scoreboard remained deadlocked, stuck at a 23-23 tie heading into the break.
“We were kind of on a positive note because (the first time we faced Cameron County) we were down six at the half and in the second time we played them we were down four,” said Babcock. “So, we were used to battling back, being down at the half, so we took it as a positive.”
In the third, the flurry of offense resumed. However, set in a battle of attrition, Cameron County began finding some much needed separation.
Through the first opening minutes of the second half, the Gators and Red Raiders were on equal footing. Turning defense into offense, Port came away with a pair of blocks from Jarrod Funk which were quickly turned into points on the other end with some well-placed outlet passes, while Cam Co leaned on their height and physicality to dominate the paint for more up close and personal looks at the basket. But just before the mid-way point of the quarter, the Red Raiders found a spark.
Knotted at 27, Taylan Tucker knocked down the first triple of the second half, putting his team up by a mere three points. Getting a defensive stop on the other end, Malakai Zucal cashed in on another deep jumper. All of a sudden the embers started to catch. Unable to find a rebuttal, the Gators watched as the Red Raiders’ six unanswered points balloon to twelve. Suddenly, Cam Co sat upon a double-digit lead.
“We ran a play that we haven’t ran all year, that used to be all we ran my first years of coaching. Just spread the defense out and just keep going at them. Drive, kick, drive, kick. Just be relentless with it,” said Brown. “I don’t know why we haven’t ran it, teams started learning how to cover it, but tonight it won it for us. We attacked the hole, we kicked out and hit shots.”
Staring down an eleven point deficit with one quarter to go, the Gators promptly got to work, which began on the offensive glass.
Led by Chase Boyd’s effort under the boards, Port persistently crashed through the paint for second chance points which chipped away at the Red Raiders’ lead. Coupled with a few steals and forced turnovers, the Gators managed to slim the lead down to a two-possession game with just under four minutes to go. However, time was on Cam Co’s side.
Needing to preserve their lead, the Red Raiders began burning clock. Patiently passing around the perimeter, evading the reach of Gator defenders, Cam Co ate chunks of time with each possession, ultimately forcing Port between a rock and a hard place. With no other choice, the Gators had to intentionally foul, sending the Red Raiders into the bonus with a minute and a half left to go.
Feeling the desperation begin to set in, Port’s forced and rushed offense frequently produced errant passes or missed shots. As their window quickly began to close, the final outcome was all but sealed. Despite besting the Red Raiders twice in the regular season, their third attempt, one that would have resulted in an NTL Tournament Championship, had come up shy.
“We had opportunities. We were down six with just over 30 seconds left and I’m screaming to get to the rim and we put up three threes and missed all three of them,” said Babcock. “We were two for 20-something from the 3-point line and only had three guys score. That’s the first time all year that that’s happened to us and obviously you don’t win many games by playing like that.”
While only three Gators made their way into the scoring column all of them ended with double-digit figures. Funk led the charge with 16 points, followed by Amell and Liam Hawver, who both scored 11 points, respectively. For the Red Raiders, Zucal ended with a game-high 19 points while Grovanz ended with 14.
Moving forward, Port will have to shake off the loss before focusing on their upcoming run through the District 9 Class 2A playoffs. On Wednesday, the No. 4 Gators will host No. 5 Coudersport for the first round, where they will again be tasked with finding a third consecutive win over the Falcons.
“Maybe it’s good to get punched in the mouth right before playoffs to wake us up a little bit. I thought a couple of our guys just didn’t look ready to play tonight. You could see it on their face, you could see it by their demeanor,” said Babcock. “Now I’m hoping this kind of woke them up. Coudy’s tough. We have to come ready to play or it’ll be the same result as tonight.”
AT BRADFORD
Cameron County (47)
Zucal 8 2-3 19, Grovanz 5 4-8 14, Goss 2 0-0 6, Tucker 2 2-4 5, Bure 1 1-4 3. Totals: 17 9-19 47
Port Allegany (38)
Funk 5 2-3 16, Amell 5 0-2 11, Hawver 5 1-1 16. Totals: 15 4-6 38
Cameron County 14 23 40 47
Port Allegany 13 23 29 38
Three-point goals: CC (4) Goss 2, Zucal, Tucker, PA (2) Funk 2; Total fouls: CC 9, PA 13; Fouled out: None.
