Boys Basketball: Richards lets lead slip away

Updated: December 29, 2011 7:06PM

Richards gave Jacksonville chance after chance on Thursday morning at the 69th Annual Centralia Holiday Tournament.

The Crimson, in the form of Rudy Pate, finally took advantage. Pate hit a layup with 35 seconds left on the clock to tie the game. The senior guard then hit two free throws with 9.6 seconds to play to give the Crimson the needed game-winning points and a 44-42 victory. Richards’ Javone Shorter attempted an off-balance three from the top of the key in the final two seconds of the contest.

“We showed good perseverance,” said J.R. Dugan, Jacksonville’s coach. “We missed some opportunities at the line, especially down the stretch. We never lost hope and I am happy with that. We kept going after them. We took care of the basketball and forced them to play our game at the end.”

Midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs held an 11-point lead, 36-25, when Shorter hit two consecutive buckets inside the 4:00 mark. That lead had dwindled to 40-34 by the end of the third quarter. Jacksonville scored the first six points of the fourth quarter as Pate and Andy Jackson each hit a trey to knot it at 40-40.

Shorter, who scored the Bulldogs’ final bucket of the contest with 2:54 to play, finished with 19 points and seven rebounds. He was the only Bulldog in double figures. The Crimson got 11 from Jackson. Dalton Keene and Blake Hance each finished with 10.

“We gave the game away,” said John Chappetto, Richards coach. “Too many blown defensive assignments. We had some bad traps and it left some of their players wide open. We did not defensively do things the right way. Every Christmas you learn about your team and we know what we need to do.”

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