By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---The Lakeland Community College men's basketball team handed Owens Community College a stinging 95-90 defeat in double overtime last night in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC).
With the loss, Owens falls to 17-12 overall and 8-5 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play. With a win, they would have kept their chances alive for the No. 2 seed in the upcoming district tournament, which Columbus State now has. More info on seeding can be found at the end of this recap.
With five seconds left in regulation, Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio) found Charles Penn III (Macomb Dakota/Detroit, Mich.) for a layup to tie the game at 70.
Then, in overtime, Owens held a three point lead with eight seconds left following a pair of free throws from Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Huron/Ann Arbor, Mich.). Owens head coach Dave Clarke decided to have Hatchett Jr. foul Lakeland's Mike Smith with three seconds left in order to send him to the foul line. Smith made the first and intentionally missed the second. Jay Thomas grabbed a highly contested loose ball and hit a jumper just inside the 3-point line to send the game to a another overtime.
In the second overtime, each team traded baskets over the first two minutes. Then, with 3:07 left, Penn III buried a 3-pointer off another pass from Hatchett Jr. to give Owens an 88-87 lead, but it was his team's final lead.
Thomas and Chris Scott followed by hitting back-to-back shots for Lakeland. Dae'Shawn Jackson (Springfield/Springfield, Ohio) made a pair of free throws to pull Owens within one, but Smith and Scott made four free throws in the final 27 seconds to seal the win. Owens had a chance to tie the game with eight seconds left, but Hatchett Jr.'s 3-point attempt rimmed out.
Scott scored a game-high 29 points, while pulling down 11 rebounds for Lakeland. Thomas added 24 points, while Smith chipped in 17. Calvin Giles added a game-high 16 rebounds and four blocks.
For Owens, Jackson produced a team-high 27 points, along with three rebounds and three steals. Penn III and Dilyn Good (Springfield/Holland, Ohio) each added 16 points, while combining for 12 rebounds and three blocks. Cochran also added 11 points and six assists. Hatchett Jr. had a game-high eight assists.
In the first half, both teams remained very close until the final minutes. Both teams held a four point lead at one point in the half before Owens closed the half on a 7-1 run to take a 41-35 lead into the break. Down the stretch in the half, Cochran scored six points until Jamerson Jr. hit a 3-pointer from the corner.
Jackson buried a pair of free throws with 15:44 left in regulation to give Owens a 51-44 lead, but his team went scoreless over the next six minutes, which allowed Lakeland to run out to a 12-0 spurt and take a 56-51 lead with 9:20 left.
Jackson, who hit several big shots in the second half, followed with a jumper and a layup to knot the game at 58 apiece with 7:42 left. Good then scored seven straight points to tie the game at 65 apiece with 4:17 left.
With 1:21 left, Lakeland held a 69-65 lead, but Jamerson Jr. hit a 3-pointer to pull Owens within one. Following that, Scott made one of two at the line for Lakeland, which helped allow Penn III's game-tying layup with five seconds left.
Notes
Owens now needs a win against Cincinnati State Technical and Community College on the road Saturday at 3 p.m. in order to have a chance for the No. 3 seed. Should Lakeland defeat Cuyahoga Community College on Saturday, however, they would clinch the No. 3 seed no matter what due to holding a tiebreaker over Owens, who would then have the No. 4 seed and host a quarterfinal game on March 1. If both Owens and Lakeland lose Saturday, that would create a three way tie between Owens, Lakeland and Cuyahoga for the three seed and the conference office would figure tiebreaking procedures.
Jamerson Jr.'s double-double was his second in four games. He also has three double digit rebounding games during that span.