Chargers comeback bid falls short in OT

PLYMOUTH — The Community Christian Lions came to town for the second time in a little under three weeks, and following a 120-75 Marian Ancilla win the first time around, this time the Lions took a 104-100 win in overtime.
In the previous matchup, the Chargers scored nearly twice as many field goals as the Lions, and they scored an impressive 14-31 from 3-point range. This time, however, it was the Lions who led for much of the game, then held on down the stretch to escape Plymouth with the 104-100 overtime victory.
The Chargers struggled with foul trouble early, and freshman guard Jordan Woods was limited to just a handful of minutes in the first half due to his three fouls.
Leading 43-37 at halftime, the Lions extended their lead to double figures a couple of times in the second half. The Chargers used a 13-0 run to take a 3-point lead late in regulation.
With 1:35 left in regulation and the score tied at 85-85, Woods made a reverse layup to put MUAC up 87-85. Just 9 seconds later, off of a baseline out-of-bounds set, Derald Blackmon scored in the paint for CC on a nice post-spin move, tying it at 87 apiece.
The Chargers got a couple of good looks, one a 3-point attempt, then a contested layup, but Blackmon grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 50.4 seconds remaining. He knocked down both charity tosses to put the Lions up, 89-87. With just over 30 seconds left in regulation, Charger freshman Matt King caught a pass in the left corner, attacked the middle of the floor, then scored on a nice step-through to tie it at 89.
Late in the overtime period, with the Chargers trailing 96-94, sophomore Dante Porch buried a contested 3-pointer with 45.0 seconds left, giving MUAC a 97-96 lead. This would be their final lead of the game.
Community Christian hit three of four free throws in the final 9.2 seconds to take the win.
King led Marian Ancilla in scoring with 18 points, plus he chipped in four rebounds and five assists. Woods put together a fairly complete game with 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. Porch was next with 16 points off the bench, including 3-5 shooting from deep, and he picked off five steals as well. Sophomores Ashton Oviedo and Jayden Sanders each scored 11 points.
The Charger Men’s team ends the first semester with a 10-3 record. They now get a couple of weeks for a break before returning to play #25 Oakland Community College at home on Jan. 4.