Article by Cloey Kelly
Photo by Jeremy Nelson
Dallas, Texas – The Central Christian College men's basketball team will be coming home victorious from a vicious game with the UNT Dallas Trailblazers, 103-98.
The Trailblazers came right out of the gate being agressive. The Tigers grabbed one of their first leads of the game with a three pointer from Jevarrick Butler at the 11:46 mark.
A back-and-forth for the lead arises between the Trailblazers and the Tigers, the largest lead being five points ahead. The Trailblazers maintained their lead by the end of the first half.
After the break, Chris Whitten got the scoring started for the Tigers with a layup. The Trailblazers took this to heart and began to score as well, but Whitten evened out the score at the 15:30 mark. The Trailblazers gain their lead back once more, but Whitten brings the lead back to the Tigers when he scores his free throws at 12:02.
Now with the lead in possession, the Tiger's turn up the heat on their offense. They keep their lead, expanding it as high as seven points with a Jevarrick Butler dunk at 07:36. The Trailblazers fight harder still and tie up the score 80-80 as time expires in the second half.
After the start of the first overtime period the Trailblazers score first and regain the lead. The Tigers turned up the heat on defense as Za'Corey Stewart made the play of the game for the Tigers. Za'Corey blocked the Trailblazer shot that would have all but put the game away. This gave the Tigers an opportunity to send the game to a second overtime. Wouldn't you know it, with five seconds left, Isaiah Perry banked in a three pointer that tied the two teams up once more, 91-91.
The second overtime period begins. The Trailblazers score the first layup, but the Tigers didn't stand down. They gained their lead with Whitten's free throw and continued to build on it. Za'Corey Stewart increased the lead to a six with 29 seconds left in the game. Stewart also scored the final point in the game at the 0:21 mark, leaving the Trailblazers to shoot unsuccessful three pointers until the game finally ended.
Key Statistic
The Tigers consistent shooting kept them in the game all night as they shot almost 50% from the field. They were also able to convert 15 points off turnovers.
By the Numbers
For the game, the Tigers made 33 of 67(49%) of their attempts from the floor.
From beyond the arc, they were 9 of 20 (45%)
At the free throw line, the Tigers were 28 of 34 (82%).
The Tigers were outrebounded by the Trailblazers 44 to 39, but won the turnover battle 14 to 9.
Tiger Leaders
Points: Chris Whitten (35)
Rebounds: Isaiah Perry (15)
Assists: Malachi Farr (5)
Steals: Jevarrick Butler (1)
Blocks: Andre Shelby, Za'Corey Stewart (1)
Coaches Quote
"Find a way, not an excuse! We faced a lot of adversity tonight. We had guys out sick, battled foul trouble, battled cramping, and the next guy up kept showing up. UNTD did some things the first half to frustrate us, we walked into the locker room giving up 46 points in the half while UNTD shot 60% from the field. We knew if that continued, we would not have a chance to win. We felt we played well enough in the first half offensively to compete. After the break, we had a much better effort and focus on the defensive side of the ball. We felt we got complacent towards the end of regulation and were careless with the ball which gave UNTD opportunities to capitalize in which they did and got to OT. Isaiah made a huge shot at the end of the first OT to push the game to a second OT. In the second OT, Chris and Jaeden Whitten made some big baskets to give us a lead. But, I was really happy and proud of ZaCorey Stewart, it has been tough for him to get minutes this year, but he has stayed the course and played some huge minutes in OT action. He made three big free throws down the stretch and had a massive block on their 7 foot guy to give us an opportunity to extend the game. Just really happy for him to feel that success. I can go on about how many guys contributed, I really thought Jevarrick had his most complete game of the year. Chris did what Chris does and hit some big timely shots. Isaiah Perry gave us big production inside with Shelby being in foul trouble and Malachi was an iron man, playing all 50 minutes. Jaeden Whitten did great with extended minutes and made an impact on both sides of the ball. Jackson came in and spotted some minutes late that helped the team. Again, it is very tough to win in our league and to win on the road is even more difficult, so we never want to not celebrate the joy in winning. However, I am very proud of the way we were able to do it tonight, adversity hit and our guys kept responding in a great team effort!!!" - Coach Tony Romero
Next Up
The Tigers (10-10, 7-7), get back to .500 with a solid double OT win and now turn their attention to SAGU on Saturday, February 3rd at 3:45PM in Waxahachie, Texas. The Tigers then return to McPherson to start a five-game homestand on February 8th against Southwestern Christian University where tip-off is set for 7:45PM. All games will be streamed live on the SAC Spots Network.
