Truman boys basketball stunned by Bishop McDevitt in Schott tournament
BENSALEM – Truman fell to 3-6 over the Christmas holiday break and without mincing words, it was not pretty. Heading into the Jack Schott Memorial Basketball Tournament at Holy Ghost Prep (HGP), the Tigers dropped both ends of the two-day tournament, starting with an 82-50 loss to the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) rival Firebirds Dec. 29 in the opener at Chapman Gym.
Just when you thought a victory was at hand, Truman surrendered a late double-digit lead to Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) rival Bishop McDevitt on Dec. 30. Like they did last year, the Lancers came back from a loss in the tournament opener and won the consolation game.
“Our kids just didn’t give up; that’s the bottom line,” stated McDevitt head coach Sean Ryan, who hails from Yardley. “(Truman) made all their shots all night but it seemed like in the last couple minutes of the game, they kind of froze up a little bit, didn’t make their foul shots and that kind of allowed us to get back into the game.”
“We fought our way to overtime and from there, we just had the momentum.”
Ahead by 12 points with less than four minutes to go, the Tigers saw their lead shrink to four with a little more than a minute to play when Lancers senior guard Chris Moore hit a layup off a Truman turnover.
Tigers junior guard Danell Snelling hit a pair of free throws to help hold McDevitt back but the Lancers sophomore guard Da’Quane Williams hit a layup to cut the lead back to four points.
While Williams would miss a pair of free throws in the following moments, Truman junior Z.J. Jackson missed the first half of a 1-and-1 opportunity at the foul line and Snelling hit just the first half of his shots at the charity stripe.
The Tigers turned the ball over again and Moore made them pay with a ball he poured into the basket from behind the arc that cut Truman’s lead to just two points.
Snelling hit 1-of-2 free throws but BM freshman Malik Heyward made a layup that cut the Tigers’ margin to just a single point. Danell drained his next two foul shots but McDevitt countered with a layup by Williams to keep the Lancers’ deficit at one with 13 seconds remaining in regulation.
With four seconds left, the unthinkable happened when Truman senior Khalil Trammel tried to connect with Snelling on an inbounds pass. The ball got away, went out of bounds and was subsequently awarded to McDevitt.
With 2.1 seconds left, BM freshman Malik Heyward drew a foul and was sent to the line. He missed the second of a pair of free throws, sending the sides to overtime, tied at 72-all.
In the opening moments of the extra session, McDevitt hit a pair of layups to take an early four-point lead. Soon after, the Tigers countered with a free throw and a layup by junior Kelechi Ogbonna.
Unfortunately, that’s all the points Truman could muster in OT as the Tigers lost the game, 82-75.
Heyward led the scoring effort for the Lancers with 16 points while Moore – who was named to the All-Tournament team – came through with 15. Sophomore Jaron Macon – who hit one of those layups in the opening minute in overtime – made good on five of six free throws in the extra session, to help secure a Lancers’ win.
A young team that starts a pair of freshmen, this was just McDevitt’s second triumph of the season. Ironically, the Lancers’ first win also took a fourth-quarter comeback to win in overtime.
“They’re young but we’re trying to teach them baby steps,” explained Ryan. “We’re trying to teach them how to not give up, to teach them that we can adjust.
“I’m happy the kids are starting to take that fighting mentality – to never give up.”
While McDevitt is still winless in the Catholic League, the Lancers recently found their way to their third victory of the season when they outpaced Cristo Rey Philadelphia High School 72-56 Jan. 2 in Wyncote. Cameron Gardner – the other freshman in the starting lineup – led the Lancers with a double-double, posting up with 19 points and a dozen rebounds.
Meanwhile, Truman is 2-2 in the Suburban One National League with wins over William Tennent and Council Rock North and losses to Council Rock South and Pennsbury.
Snelling – who was named to the All-Tournament team – and Ogbonno, were co-scoring leaders for the Tigers with 16 points, each. Seniors Satchel Simpson and Justin Fant added 11 and nine points, respectively to the Truman cause. Junior Z.J. Jackson had eight.
NOTES: Holy Ghost captured the 18th annual Schott Memorial Tournament trophy with a 74-56 win over Philly Public League rival Abraham Lincoln. The Firebirds lost both games in the tournament last year including a 4-point loss to the Tigers and a 3-point loss to the Lancers.
Contact the author at ssherman@buckslocalnews.com, or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
Bishop McDevitt 82, Harry S Truman 75, (OT)
(Dec. 30 at HGP)
TRUMAN — Kelechi Ogbonna 16, Danell Snelling 16, Justin Fant 9, Khalil Trammel 2, Z.J. Jackson 8, Tyrone Willis 4, Dwight Gursy 2, Satchel Simpson 11, Quin McQueen 3, Mike Phillips 2, Jeff Nixon 2.
