It was Senior Day! A chance for the first 20-win season since the advent of USCAA membership! A post season tournament bid was on the line. Many in the crowd had come to see the power of a team that was on an eight-game winning streak. And, it might also be noted that the visitors had won three straight games against KSU Tuscarawas.
Despite all the hype, or social selling if you will, what really mattered is what happened on the floor for the Golden Eagles against visiting Miami Middletown. And they laid out the context early in an 89-70 win over the Thunderhawks minus any glitzy sales pitches.
That's not to say there weren't any memorable moments, because there were plenty from the get-go. How about DeJuan Lawrence's high flying baseline dunk off a one-handed no look feed from Kyle Shockley at the 13:34 mark to boost the Eagles lead to 15-6. Or, how about a nifty up and under move from James Roundtree to make it 28-16 with 6:59 left in the opening half.
The aforementioned Lawrence and the younger Shockley teamed up often in the first half to victimize MUM totaling a combined 29 points together. Case in point, Shockley buried a trey on a kickout pass from Lawrence who was under the basket at the 5:52 mark for a 33-18 advantage. Then Lawrence fielded a missed KSU Tusc foul shot and found Kameron Shockley to restart the Eagles offense. Shockely created some space and rained in a long ball for a 39-20 lead with 2:01 left.
It was Kyle Shockley's turn again, and he showed his senior brother that the Eagles offense will still be loaded next year with a triple of his own and a 42-20 lead at 1:30. Lawrence prowled the baseline and made a reverse layup with :28.5 left in the open stanza before Kyle Shockley closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws for a 46-22 lead at the break.
Still, the Eagles weren't in the clear. Solid teams like MUM always have another run left in the tank and they broke it out early in the final half. The Thunderhawks tallied the first seven points of the second half and cut the lead to 46-29. Just five minutes into the last act the score stood 52-35 and somehow a one-time 24-point navy and gold lead was down to 17 and it felt very insignificant.
That margin was shrunk to 11 on a couple of occasions, the latter coming at the 7:38 mark when the scoreboard reflected 64-53 as the struggle continued. The reeling Eagles were looking for offense while embedded in a 31-18 second half hole and then something drastic happened.
After losing senior guard London Cobbs to a fourth personal foul with 8:19 left, Kameron Shockley was relieved of his spot on the floor after receiving a second of two class 'A' technical fouls with 7:08 left. And things soured even more when Lawerence, the 6'8" senior center retired to the bench with his fourth foul not a minute later at the 6:09 mark. All the Eagles seniors and top three scorers had left the court in short order, ugh!
Had fate come to cast a terrible shadow on such an important day?
It was time to trump fate with a hit over the head from a tree---a James Roundtree. And the sparingly used center hit the floor with a flourish. Just minutes after taking the court he drove left and steered down the lane for a basket leaving some surprised Thunderhawks in his wake for a 70-58 lead. He followed that up and didn't even balk while launching a nothing-but-net three-ball with 4:56 left to expand the lead to 73-58 netting five huge points.
MUM tried to rally themselves, but the trees were toppling, especially after Kyle Shockley canned a triple from the left corner for a 78-60 lead with 4:06 to play. While on a 14-3 explosion over a nearly two and one-half minute period, Cobbs cleanly blocked a three-ball attempt from the side and with 2:52 remaining KSU Tusc suddenly found the lumber again.
Roundtree got behind the MUM defense and muscled in another heroic basket with 2:52 left in the game. He scored seven points in a little over four minutes and added a couple of important rebounds as well. He definitely helped stem the tide, as did Kyle Shockley who converted on some key free throws.
Down the stretch, Braden Rostad logged all the scoring for the Golden Eagles by bombing home three straight corner balls for triples. The last came with :46.2 left to play and provided the Eagles with an 89-68 lead.
Kyle Shockley's 25 points led all scorers as he tallied 14 in the first half. DeJuan Lawrence and Kameron Shockley both contributed 17 points apiece, with 15 of Lawrence's total coming in the first 20 minutes while Shockley scored 12 after the break. Lawrence added 10 rebounds making it his twelfth double-double of the season. Rostad converted on five triples for 15 points.
The Eagles end the regular season with their first-ever 20-win season in their USCAA era and finish at 20-9. On Sunday, they await a bid to the USCAA National Championships. The bid show can be viewed at the following link: http://uscaasportsnetwork.com and will be broadcast at 5:30 pm.
The Golden Eagles bench cheers during the Senior Day celebration and senior Kameron Shockley gets a thank you hug from Coach Tharp.
Kyle Shockley pulls up for two of his game leading 25 points and DeJuan Lawrence contests a shot and scored 17 for the Eagles.
James Roundtree contributes two of his seven late-game points and JaJuantae Young works the ball up court under pressure.
(Photos by Lindsey Nicholson)