(Photo by Nick LoVerde)
On December 2, 2014, I published a post called 'A Random Smattering of preseason thoughts'. One of the "random" things I wrote in that post was in excited anticipation of Amherst and Cheektowaga playing each other twice in ECIC III action. It simply read:
Amherst @ Cheektowaga on 12/16/14 AND Cheektowaga @ Amherst on 1/23/15 could be epic.
I nailed the first part.
In an important early season league game that had all the feel of a mid February contest with a division title at stake, the outcome was unknown until the game-ending buzzer was sounding and the scoreboard clock showed all zeros. Amherst defeated Cheektowaga in stunning fashion, 71-70, in the first of two regular season meetings between a pair of schools that have developed a clear & present rivalry.
With the Tigers trailing by two, Amherst's TC Brown took an inbound pass at the other end of the court as the final seconds ticked down, dribbled over half court near the bench sideline, moved in towards the middle, let a contested 3-pointer fly from straight away as the clock expired, and was mobbed by his teammates after it banked in for the win.
"Coach (Chris Kensy) drew up a dribble play in the huddle, he wanted to get me the ball, he knew I could make a big play," Brown said following the game. "I just threw it up hoping it would go in and it went in".
The result shocked the home crowd, preparing to celebrate a victory just seconds prior. The Warriors players appeared devastated - the players on the court froze after the shot fell, then slowly moved back towards their bench in disbelief. For the Tigers' players, it was pure elation and celebration. For Amherst head coach Chris Kensy, relieved seems to be the best way to describe his demeanor after the game.
"It was such a back-and-forth game, fortunately for us, we were able to make one more play than them at the end" Amherst head coach Chris Kensy said. Then, shaking his head as if his nerves were far from being settled, he said "Sorry, I'm sure you enjoyed it, but wow".
Tied at 13 each late in the first quarter, the scoring runs began, and the momentum continued to swing in each direction the rest of the way. Cheektowaga scored 12 straight to go up, 25-13. The Tigers answered with an 11-1 spurt.
A 30-24 halftime lead for the Warriors disappeared in the first minute of the third quarter, as Amherst quickly tied the game back up. Patrick Plummer and Dominick Welch each canned treys for Cheektowaga in response and their team regained a 38-31 lead. Not to be outdone, Dorian Billups heated up for Amherst, dropping back-to-back long balls and scoring eight of his 18 points during a 14-3 push by the Tigers that gave them a 47-44 lead heading into the final frame.
Amherst built a seven-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Cheektowaga came back to tie things at 56 each with 5:06 left in the game, punctuated by a dunk from Welch. After trading leads over the next three minutes, Cheektowaga looked to be on its way to sewing up a victory. A pair of Welch free throws had the Warriors up, 69-65, with under 30 seconds to play.
But a traditional three-point play from Brown with just nine seconds left made it 69-68, and gave the Tigers the chance they needed. Amherst fouled the Warriors, who were only able to cash in on one of two tosses, making it 70-68, and setting the stage for the final, late-game heroics of Brown.
-centercourt
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