PITTSBURGH, PA - In a nailbiter this evening against Pitt-Greensburg Michael Brooks was able to stay calm and collected under pressure and put in the winning basket for the Redhawks to avoid an overtime period.
The first half of the game was scrappy. The Bobcats' bigs, Octavious Hardy, and Reggie Priah were going hard in the paint, and the La Roche defense was struggling hard to find a way to defend it. Devon Darrell of La Roche was being defended hard, and was being forced to find different openings to get to the hoop.
When both teams entered the locker rooms at halftime. Pitt-Greensburg was ahead by two points. Greensburg, in fact, carried the lead for a total of just under 25 minutes. However, this was a grueling contest that saw 13 lead changes, and 8 ties.
The Redhawks entered the court in the second period ready to put their heads down and go to work. Desmond Ross stepped up to challenge. He shot 60% in tonight's contest, dropping 3 good three-point shots. Brooks finished with a total of 15 points.
Isaiah Thomas and Dom Elliot also emerged from the locker room ready to battle it out with Hardy and Priah in the paint. Both forwards were able to put some shots in over their heads and outscore the Bobcats in the paint by 4 points. Thomas earned 13 points and Elloit earned 11.
Joe Pipilo was the rebounder that dared to go toe-to-toe with the UPG big man and his efforts showed with a final total of 9 rebounds.
Even with La Roche meeting the challenge head on, the Bobcats were right there with them in the battle. With 7 seconds on the clock, and the ball in the Bobcats' possession it looked like the teams were either about to be witnessing a Greensburg victory, or heading into overtime. However, with a missed pass, Greensburg's Matthew Marinchak turned the ball over and La Roche was able to take possession.
Head Coach for the Redhawks, Hermie Carmichael, drew up a play that was intended for leading scorer, Darrell, who netted 17 points in game. However, the Bobcats' defense was smart and had a close eye on Darrell and were able to shut down any chances of him getting the ball in his hands for the final seconds of the game.
Brooks however, saw his opening and was able to lose his defender just long enough to catch the inbound pass. Once he had the ball in his possession, the sophomore centered himself, saw an open lane, and he took it. Brooks scored the winning layup, with .1 second on the clock, and was able to bring home the win, avoid overtime, and keep the Redhawks undefeated in AMCC play. Brooks finished the contest with 15 total points.