Team effort powers Owls in overtime thriller

 

For 39 minutes and 30 seconds, the Owls looked disjointed, confused and lost on the court.

Consider this an Oscar-worthy performance.

The Owls (19-1, 6-0 WSC) mounted a furious comeback in the last 30 seconds of regulation Wednesday to send it to overtime against the Santa Monica Corsairs (11-10, 2-4 WSC) where the Owls pulled out a gritty 82-78 home victory.  Owl high scorer James Walker had just been named the Western State South Conference Division Player of the week on Tuesday and finished with 24 points.  Forward Kendrick Thomas added a double-double with 13 rebounds and 10 points of his own.    The high point man for the Corsairs was Julian Wheeler, who also scored 24 points.

Owls head coach Chris Victor was proud of his team's resiliency.  "We stayed together and counted on each other," he said. "This was definitely a team win."

With 30 seconds left to go in regulation, the Owls were down 68-61 when the team caught fire from beyond the arc.  Guard Brandon Woods started it off by knocking down a 3-pointer that whittled the score down to 64-68.  The intentional foul on the inbounds play sent Corsair Lee Lark to the line, where he only converted one of two free throws.

On the next Owl possession, Walker quickly hit another 3, making the score 67-69 with 23.2 to go.  The next foul sent Lark to the line again.  Lark would miss the first and convert the second, pushing the score to 67-70 but left the door open for an Owl tie with just over 20 seconds left.

During the breaks in action, the team never lost thought they couldn't bounce back.

"We came together, we said we've been here before and we believe in each other," said Walker.  "We knew we had to go out and make plays."

And make plays they did.  On the Owls' final possession in regulation, point guard Nolan Abernathy hoisted up a three that clanged off the back rim with 14 seconds left, and it seemed the Owl comeback hopes were dashed.

Then Abernathy provided the hustle play that would define the Owl effort in the second half.  As soon as the ball hit the rim, Abernathy tracked its flight and followed the shot.  He managed to locate the ball at the right elbow, tap it out from an outstretched Corsair hand toward midcourt, and then sprawled on the ground fighting for control. 

Somehow he managed to find open guard Kerry Carter, who was standing behind the arc just in front of the Owl bench.  Carter released the ball just over the outstretched arms of a rapidly closing Corsair defender, hitting nothing but net with just over 4 seconds remaining and causing pandemonium in the stands.  Carter would have a double-double of his own, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds.  The Corsairs were unable to convert on the opposite end, and suddenly the game was headed for overtime.

Carter also emphasized the team effort.  "[The shot] was kinda surreal," he said.  "The best part was celebrating with my teammates.  I knew we weren't going to lose."

In the extra period, it was Walker took over, converting all three of the Owl field goals and outscoring the entire Corsair team 9-8.  "In overtime, I felt like I couldn't miss a shot," Walker said. 

Certainly, the Corsairs wouldn't disagree with him.  Walker's second field goal in the extra period was scintillating.  He split a double team near the left elbow and finished at the rim with a teardrop layup to give the Owls a 75-72 lead that they held until the final buzzer.

The Owls lacked energy and played sloppily in the first half.  Although their defense was solid, they were careless on the offensive end, giving up 10 turnovers in the half and 24 for the game.  The Owls also shot poorly in the first frame, connecting on just 25% of their field goals.  In fact, the Owls made more 3-pointers in the last 30 seconds than they did all game, going only 2-16 beyond the arc before Woods' 3 splashed home.

But in the second half, the Owls looked like a new team.  Two almost identical hustle plays from

Brandon Parga and the tandem of Woods and Carter diving on loose balls sparked a critical 13-2 run that gave the Owls a 57-56 lead with 3:33 to go.  And after being outrebounded 20-29 in the first half, the Owls held a 51-42 rebounding advantage when the final buzzer sounded.

For all their struggles, Coach Victor was happy to come away with a victory.  "Conference wins are always hard to come by," he said.  "Any way you win, you'll take it.

The Owls also benefited from Santa Monica's struggles.  The Owl defense forced 15 Corsair turnovers and they shot an abysmal 12-29 from the free throw line.  "We beat ourselves," said Santa Monica head coach Jerome Jenkins.  "Citrus is a good team, but free throws and turnovers really hurt us.  If we do what we're supposed to do, we win."

Coming off the heels of a halfcourt game-winner on the road against West LA, on Saturday, it seems the Citrus team is getting used to these photo finishes. 

"Just another crazy win," said Walker.

The Owls' next home game is on Saturday against Glendale.