Scrappy Mustangs fall to 22-4A champion Raiders in OT
Published 9:30 pm Friday, February 12, 2021
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
Mark Pachuca/Orange Leader
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WEST ORANGE – The West Orange-Stark Mustangs had a chance to win it at the end of regulation with a great push at the end but couldn’t quite cash in on an upset of District 22-4A champion Lumberton as the Raiders went on to notch a 68-62 overtime victory at Mustang Gym in a great game in front of a loud crowd Friday night.
The Mustangs (10-15, 5-7), who will enter the playoffs as the No. 4 seed in 22-4A, pushed the district champion Raiders (19-6, 11-1) hard all night.
Down 57-54 with 0:15 in regulation, Mustang Bryan Keller canned a three-pointer to tie it up. Lumberton standout senior and Lamar University signee Brock McClure then turned the ball over at the other end and the Mustangs had a shot to win it.
Michael Wardlow, the Mustangs’ leading scorer on the season put up a shot just inside the lane surrounded by Raiders that fell just short right before the clock ran out, which forced overtime.
McClure had another monster game for the Raiders, notching a double-double with 35 points and 12 rebounds and teamed up with post Trevor Hataway and guard Jadon Noel in the overtime period to help turn back the Mustangs.
The Raiders led 62-57 early in OT but Keller, who had a huge night with 21 points and four three-pointers, tied it at 62-62 with a three-point bomb.
Lumberton finished the game off with a 6-0 run as Hataway scored a bucket inside and McClure and Noel each buried two free-throws a piece while the Mustangs missed three straight shots and had a crucial turnover down the stretch.
Hataway finished with a double-double as well, collecting 13 points while grabbing a game-high 13 boards while Noel had 16 points.
Wardlow, battling cramps late and missing most of the OT session due to it, finished with 17 points and five rebounds. Darren Anderson had a pair of three-pointers and finished with 10 points for the Mustangs. Quintin Proctor had eight points and six boards while Rocedric Papillion led the Mustangs with seven rebounds.
Brady Fuselier had six boards and Josh Landry five for the Raiders, who outrebounded WO-S 43-28 on the night.
The Raiders shot twice as many free-throws as the Mustangs. Lumberton was 20-of-24 from the line with McClure going a perfect 13-of-13 while the Mustangs made 8-of-12.
Lumberton finished with 19 turnovers while WO-S had 18.
Lumberton led 20-15 at the end of the first quarter behind 12 points by McClure and six by Noel.
The Mustangs scrapped right back, tying things up at halftime as Wardlow had eight points in the second quarter and Keller had five.
The Mustangs outscored the Raiders 14-12 in the third to snare a 46-44 edge heading to the fourth.
