It was like something out of the Clash of the Titans, as the USCAA DII, No. 6 ranked Golden Eagles outlasted the No. 5 ranked Villa Maria Vikings in Founders Hall Gym on Thursday night 80-75.
The game had plenty of drama as the two combatants matched one another throughout the opening half playing through five ties and five lead changes. With the score even at 19-19, KSU Tusc parlayed two Ethan Bower three-point baskets and a hoop after a Vinnie Roper steal into an 31-19 advantage.
Villa managed to close the gap to 33-31, but the Golden Eagles held them scoreless over the final 1:30 and soared back with six straight points to grab a 40-31 halftime lead on two buckets by London Cobbs and another by Kameron Shockley.
Over the first six minutes of the final half, the Eagles busted open the game outscoring and nearly sinking the Vikings Drakkar longship with a 19-6 run. During the flurry, Kameron Shockley played like Perseus against the sea monster and accounted for 12 of those points.
He scored the opening bucket of the half and resembled a shark in bloody water that would have made the goddess Thetis proud. He attacked the rim for four straight KSU Tusc baskets and without a doubt, the most important points he scored on the night were the last five points in the run.
Shockley sank a triple from the left corner that seemed to touch every square inch of the rim before falling into the net at the 15:03 mark for a 55-37 Eagles lead, but then eclipsed the 1000th point mark of his career point moments later for a 57-37 cushion. He even added a basket for good measure right afterward to increase the lead to 59-37.
The bench and the gym were rocking and maybe the celebration of victory came a little too soon as 13:10 still loomed on the game clock. "Impetuous, foolish. Ah dear, the young. Why do they never listen? When will they ever learn?", Ammon would say.
Villa began to strike back after the Eagles erected a 66-43 lead with 9:59 left. Like Perseus they must have subscribed to the notion that "Nothing is invulnerable, there must be a way," as they outplayed the seemingly helpless Eagles during an 18-4 streak to cut the lead to single digits at 70-61.
Finally, Cobbs came to the rescue with KSU Tusc's last eight points---six at the free throw line---in the final 3:01 to stave off the comeback. The only other points during the span were appropriately scored by Kameron Shockley—the man of the hour. Cobbs scored four straight after Shockley's bucket to hold the Vikings at bay and diffuse a very tenuous situation as things started to get a little chippy on the court. Both teams were competing hard.
With :57 left to play, Cobbs broke to middle of the lane and sank a pullup jumper. A technical was called on the Vikings for flopping and Cobbs sank the subsequent free throw for a 77-69 lead. From there the two teams competed until the final horn with Cobbs sinking two freebies in the last 12 seconds of the game.
Zeus summed Peresus' victory in Clash of the Titans and the Eagles victory well when he said, "Fortune is ally to the brave."
Cobbs led the Eagles (12-5) with 27 points and sank 13/16 free throws on the night, while Kameron Shockley was right behind with 24 points---18 of them in final half. Kyle Shockley also reached double figures with 10.
The Golden Eagles travel to Buffalo on Monday to take on USCAA DI, No. 2 ranked Bryant & Stratton Buffalo a team they beat earlier in the season.
Kameron Shockley has plenty of company and scored 24 points and London Cobbs kicks out a rebound and scored 27 points against Villa Maria.
DeJuan Lawrence rejects a Vikings shot and ZaMar Harris gets fouled from behind against full court pressure.
(Photos by Rob Brindley)