Ottomano’s buzzer-better gives Lansdale Catholic OT win over Pennridge (VIDEO)

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EAST ROCKHILL >> There were plans, but Mike Ottomano said those ended up being scrapped.

“We had a play drawn up in case he made (the free throw). So we were going to have a little wheel play going. But if he missed it we were going to go to Noah Saba or I was just going to take it,” Lansdale Catholic’s senior forward said. “So I told Noah, ‘If this is going to me we don’t have enough time.’”

That left Ottomano with just one direct option when he grabbed the rebound after Pennridge – holding a one-point edge – missed two free throws with 6.2 seconds left in overtime.

He raced up the court, cut from the sideline to the left wing and let a shot fly from beyond the three-point arc.

“I just took it up the court, kept my eye on the clock and I kind of just pulled up on him,” Ottomano said. “I knew it was in as soon as I shot it.”

Ottomano’s effort hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, sending the Crusaders into an on-court celebration as they came away from the non-conference matchup with a 61-59 comeback victory Tuesday night.

“It just shows the character this team has,” Ottomano said. “Last year’s team, that a game we lose, but this year we have great leadership on our team and we’re never left for dead basically. We always find a way to fight back and pull things out even when we shouldn’t.”

Lansdale Catholic (2-1) trailed 51-40 in the fourth quarter after a dunk in transition by Tyrese Lewis-Eutsey but forced overtime with a 13-2 run, scoring the last seven points in regulation.

The Rams (2-1) began the extra period with six straight points, but turnovers aided the Crusaders in collecting the final seven points – the last five from Ottomano, who paced LC with 15.

“We watched film before we got over, I really got on him cause his defense has been atrocious. And, you know, if he keeps hitting shots like those, I’m willing to look the other way on a couple missed assignments defensively,” LC coach Joe Corbett said. “But he kept the ball in his hand the entire play, didn’t listen to a word I said about what we wanted to run and you know what, hey, credit to him.

“He made a tough shot that guy was right on him but he shot it with confidence. And he told me, He said ‘It’s good.’ He knew it right when it left his hands.”

Lansdale Catholic’s Mo Kahney rams Pennridge’s Jonathan Post as he turns to run with a rebound during their game on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

Craig Rosenberger, Mo Kahney and Luke Godzieba each added 11 points for the Crusaders, who despite missing starters Ryan Braun and Starkey Gabel won their second straight.

Sean Yoder had a game-high 17 points to lead the Rams. Ryan Kinky finished with 12 points while Lewis-Eutsey chipped in 10 points.

“We didn’t close this one out, obviously. We got impatiently offensively down the stretch,” Pennridge coach Dean Behrens said. “I think I put blame on myself – the fact that I think I kind of jumped them a bit about being smart and bleeding the clock and we were just one pass and trying to go to the basket.”

Lewis-Eutsey’s dunk that put the Rams up 11 was their last field goal before overtime. A Kahney three-point play after a steal made it 51-43 with 3:51 left in the fourth. Another three-point play – this one Godzieba basket inside – cut the margin to 53-49 at 2:28.

“We play in a league where there’s dunks all the time. So I mean, it’s two points, it’s nothing special, it gets the crowd hyped,” Ottomano said. “Coach called a time out and we kind of gathered our self. We said that’s the end of that let’s go on a run of our own. So, it was an awesome feeling to kind of dig ourselves out of those holes and pull this one out. It’s a very important win.”

Ottomano hit a jumper at the elbow to get LC within two while Saba went full court after a steal and scored on a layup with his back to the basket, tying the contest 53-53.

“Defense is something I’ve kind of been harping on with this team to get mentally tougher and physically tougher on the defensive end,” Corbett said. “And they did, they got the turnovers they needed and we converted on the other end.”

LC got the final possession after a Rams jumper from the foul line missed, but the Crusaders had a shot inside blocked by Jon Post while a turnaround baseline jumper at the buzzer was short.

A Post got a shot in the lane to drop for a 59-53 Pennridge advantage in the OT before a Rosenberger corner three got LC back within 59-56. Ottomano got his hand on a pass for a steal and took it in for a layup to make it 59-58 with just under a minute to go.

The Rams lost the ball again on the ensuing possession but a Crusader go-ahead three from the corner did not go down. A foul on the rebound sent Pennridge to the line with 6.2 ticks remaining. The Rams could not extend the lead at the stripe and Ottomano proceeded to hit the game-winner.

Pennridge’s Tyrese Lewis-Eutsey goes up for a shot past Lansdale Catholic’s Luke Godzieba during their game on Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016. (Bob Raines/Digital First Media)

Lansdale Catholic looks for a third-straight victory – something it has not done since the 2013-2014 season – when it hosts Pope John Paul II 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Pennridge next plays 7 p.m. Friday when it begins Suburban One League Continental Conference play at Central Bucks South. The Rams have won three straight conference titles, the last two outright.

“We know if we hit our foul shots we win the game, but listen shoulda-coulda-woulda, that’s what high school basketball’s all about,” Behrens said. “Every game we play this year is going be like this. We’re not just going to walk on the floor and beat people. I thought defensively we got lost on some switches, they didn’t communicate really well and that burned us. And we gave up too many offensive rebounds as well. So, it’s a lot to get better at.”

The Rams led 20-10 when Lewis-Eutsey converted a three-point play at 6:42 in the second quarter but Lansdale Catholic used a 14-4 run to pull level 24-24 on a Rosenberger three. A Yoder jumper gave Pennridge a 26-24 lead at the break.

LC led by a point twice early the third, the last at 31-10 before the Rams went on a 14-2 run capped by a Yoder triple that made it 44-33 Pennridge. The Crusaders collected the third’s last five points, a Kahney trey in the final seconds cutting the Rams’ lead to 44-38.

A Kahney basket off a drive had the margin down to four before the Rams responded with seven straight, the last two on Lewis-Eutsey’s slam on a fast break started by his block that made it 51-40.

Lansdale Catholic 61, Pennridge 59 (OT)
Lansdale Catholic 8 16 14 15 8 — 61
Pennridge 15 11 18 9 6 — 59
Lansdale Catholic: Mike Ottomano 6 0-0 15 Craig Rosenberger 4 0-0 11 Mo Kahney 4 2-2 11 Luke Godzieba 4 3-3 11 Jack Kusters 2 0-0 4 Jack Kane 1 0-0 3 Totals 24 5-5 61.
Pennridge: Sean Yoder 7 0-2 17 Ryan Kinky 5 0-0 12 Tyrese Lewis-Eutsey 3 4-5 10 Jon Post 3 3-6 9 Kyle Yoder 2 1-3 5 Ryan Cutbert 1 2-2 4 Jordan Roehrer 1 0-0 2 Totals 21 10-18 59
Three-pointers: LC-Ottomano 3, Rosenberger 3, Kahney, Kane: P-S. Yoder 3, Kinky 2.

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Mike Cabrey

Mike Cabrey
Mike Cabrey is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Reporter and Montgomery News. Email him at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com.

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