(Stafford Trueheart opens the 2nd half with a #BOOM at the MLK Classic)
Canisius junior Stafford Trueheart got the second half of his Crusaders' epic battle with McKinley started they same way he ended the game - with a #BOOM! But everything that happened on Saturday evening in the headliner of the MLK Classic at City Honors, from the opening tip until the final buzzer sounded, was explosive. The game between the #1 and #3 ranked schools in WNY not only filled the City Honors gymnasium to capacity, so much so that extra chairs were brought out along the baseline, but it also managed to be even better than anyone billed it to be.
Canisius trailed the last four minutes of the third quarter and nearly the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, but took its first lead of the final stanza with just 10.4 seconds left in the game and held on to win an absolute thriller over McKinley, 74-70.
Justin Jones scored the go ahead bucket in the closing seconds for the Crusaders, and after a McKinley turnover on an inbounds play while looking to tie the game and force overtime, Trueheart threw down a two-handed dunk for Canisius to seal the Macks fate. The old cliche, it's too bad someone had to lose definitely applies to this game. While I had no rooting interest in the outcome, it was the first time I felt bad for the team that lost this season, and I've already watched over 50 HS games. I felt badly for Amherst when they lost to McKinley in the crossover two seasons ago and for East when they lost to Olean last year. What did those two games have in common with the Canisius/McKinley game? They were the best games I saw in each of the respective seasons. Yesterday was easily the best game I've watched this year. When kids go that hard and play that sensationally, as much as I enjoyed the product I was able to witness, it makes me want to personally thank the players involved and tell the team that didn't win how much respect they earned in defeat.
Despite McKinley holding the lead for almost 12 minutes in the second half, the game still featured 13 lead changes and eight ties throughout. The game was tied, 30-30, at halftime. The Macks had a five-point lead after the first quarter and a four-point lead after the third quarter. The largest lead for either team at any point in the game was the nine point advantage that the Macks had when Jaylen Prophet scored with 3:43 left in the fourth, putting his team up, 62-53. But 2:21 after taking that nine-point lead, a three-point play from Canisius' Andrew Heitzhaus tied the game at 65 all.
Besides the two dunks from Trueheart, some game notes worth noting:
- Devin Morris of McKinley had the best game of any player on either team. His game has evolved so much, even from last season, that he has truly become one of the best players in the area. Forget his 3-point shot, which is as good as any. He was under control all game, consistently got to the basket for his team, gave them scoring when they needed big baskets, and is unquestionably the leader of his team.
- The Macks were out-sized by the Crusaders, but the play of senior Keyshawn Ridgeway went a long way towards leveling that playing field. Ridgeway wasn't even with the team until this year, but his contributions all season have been immeasurable, particularly against Canisius. Despite giving up significant size, Ridgeway was a load on the boards and gave his team an interior presence defensively.
- Juwan Tolliver is one of the best point guards in the area and few know his name, because he quietly goes to work and looks for no attention amidst a deep and talented group at McKinley. But he was finishing plays and making plays against the Canisius backcourt, which is as good as any in WNY.
- The Macks were without regular starter Keyon Johnson, who missed the game due to injury.
- Andrew Schake and Andrew Heitzhaus each came off the bench for Canisius and helped them earn the win.
- In crunch time, when Canisius trailed by nine points and began its run that tied the game back up, its backcourt of LaTerrance Reed and Josh Huffman each had strong drives that earned them trips to the line, and each went 4/4 during the most pivotable moments of the game. A single miss by either during that stretch may have changed things.
- Justin Jones not only scored the go-ahead basket with 10.4 seconds remaining, he also knocked down the 3-pointer that spurred the Crusader run at the end of the game. They don't win yesterday without him.
On his 18th birthday, playing in the Martin Luther King Classic, Canisius' Reed, nicknamed the King, scored a team-high 22 points. Trueheart scored 20 points, while Huffman and Jones each finished with 12 points.
Morris scored a game-high 27 points for McKinley, while Tolliver and Shaquan Jones each netted 11 points.
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Some post game quotes from Canisius head coach Kyle Husband:
"We're playing some good teams and we're getting their best shots"
"It's a testament to our guys, they're stepping up and playing good down the stretch"
"Those last 4-5 minutes we played at a really high level - we've got to find a way to be more consistent with that"
"Morris was phenomenal. He played great - when you've got a guy who is consistently getting to the basket and scoring like that, it's tough to get any runs"
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If you haven't seen it already, click here to view the picture of Trueheart's second dunk, taken by the Buffalo News' James McCoy and read the article written by Miguel Rodriguez. Awesome stuff and some good quotes from McKinley coach Zaire Dorsey.
-centercourt
Did Wheatley play?
Posted by: Larry Sarkanian | Tuesday, January 20, 2015 at 10:04 PM
No.
Posted by: centercourt | Wednesday, January 21, 2015 at 12:33 AM