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Boys Basketball: Michael Orris’ three gives Crete-Monee ‘W’ over Rich East
Updated: January 27, 2012 10:34PM
Michael Orris never had a doubt.
As soon as his game-winning three-point shot from the corner left his hand, he knew it was going in.
Fortunately for No. 17 Crete-Monee, it did go in, denying Rich East the upset Friday night.
Orris’s bomb hit nothing but net with two seconds remaining, resulting in a 51-49 victory over the host Rockets in Southland Conference play.
“It felt good when I let it go,” said Orris, an Illinois recruit. “As soon as LaQuon (Treadwell) kicked it out to me, I knew I was going to knock down the shot.”
It wasn’t quite the way Crete-Monee coach Tom Cappel had drawn it up. Orris was supposed to get the ball, but while he was cutting to the basket for a layup.
“That was exactly what I didn’t draw up,” said Cappel of the pivotal play. “Hey, I’d rather him take the three. It went in.”
Crete-Monee (14-5, 4-1) led by as many as 11 in the second quarter and appeared on the verge of running the Rockets out of their own gym after Marius Hopkins (11 points) canned a three for a 23-12 lead.
The lead could have been larger, considering Rich East misfired on its first 11 field goals of the game and converted just 2-of-19 shots in the first quarter.
“We get up 12 (in fact, 11), and start turning the ball over uncontested,” Cappel said. “It was ugly.”
The Rockets (8-12, 2-4) closed the first half with a 15-2 run, highlighted by Don Henderson’s three at the buzzer, to take a 27-25 lead at intermission.
Crete-Monee regrouped, scoring the first eight points of the second half to turn the two-point deficit into a six-point advantage at 33-27.
However, the Rockets once again finished strong, using an 11-2 run to grab a 38-35 edge after three.
When Henderson (13 points) converted a layup early in the fourth, the Rockets boasted their biggest lead of the night, 42-37.
A magnificent block by Treadwell (12 points) on an attempted dunk by Ronald Lawton (8 points) seemingly turned the tide. Moments later, Jordan Perry’s three-point play gave the warriors a 48-47 lead with 2:20 remaining.
“I’m happy for the kids,” Cappel said. “They fought and never gave up.”
Perry finished with 10 points and Orris nine for Crete-Monee.
Shamond Kemp came off the bench and contributed 10 points, while Raheem Jackson added nine for Rich East.
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