McKinley wins at OT buzzer
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer
CANTON Everything felt right to Ricardo Wells.
The catch of the basketball. His feet settling in behind the 3-point line in the left corner. The release of the shot from his right hand.
The McKinley High School senior loved what came next: The buzzer sounding, his perfect shot splashing through the net and his team winning on an opening night to remember.
?I was just on cloud nine. I couldn?t believe it,? Wells said after his buzzer-beater gave McKinley a 74-71 overtime win over East Cleveland Shaw. ?Everybody growing up dreams about hitting a game-winner.?
Dreams became a reality Tuesday for Wells in front of more than 1,500 fans at Memorial Field House. In his debut as a McKinley Bulldog, the transfer from archrival Massillon gave his new team a huge lift to open a season that brings great change to the program.
The two-time defending state champs introduced new head coach Greg Malone and a new starting five. When asked if this was the type of debut he imagined, Malone laughed and said, ?Not exactly.?
?But I?m glad it was our guy getting mobbed and not theirs.?
It looked like Shaw might mob its star, Williams Thomas, moments earlier. He drove the lane with less than 10 seconds left in OT, going one-on-one against Lonnie Richardson.
Thomas, with 35 points and 14 rebounds, had won most of his one-on-one matchups against a variety of defenders. The 6-5 senior relentlessly attacked and shot from all angles all night. ?He?s a heckuva a player,? Malone said. ?He hit some really difficult shots.?
But this time, Richardson knocked away Thomas? dribble and McKinley?s Johnie Davis came up with the loose ball. Davis threw a long pass ahead, which Shaw knocked out of bounds under the basket with 1.5 seconds left.
Wells taking the shot from the left corner was a secondary option on the ensuing play, as Germaine McAlpine inbounded the ball from the right baseline.
?We looked inside first,? Wells said. ?I was on the wing and I just drifted all the way to the corner. That play was open during the game. I?d told Germaine if there?s nothing inside, get it to me and I?ll hit it.?
Malone said McAlpine made a great read in seeing Wells in the opposite corner. That left it up to Wells, who had missed two previous 3-pointers.
?He had looked good shooting it earlier,? Malone said. ?It was a matter of him having enough confidence to step up and shoot it.?
Wells finished with 12 points, one of four in double-figures. Davis scored 18, Marco Richardson had 16 points and 18 rebounds, and Leo Turpin had 10 points. Eight points apiece came from McAlpine and sixth-man Antoine McClellan.
?We were nervous a little bit,? Marco Richardson said. ?But we played hard and we played as a team.?
That was exactly what Malone hoped to see.
?I don?t think we always played smart and we made some bad decisions,? Malone said. ?But we kept playing, playing together and looking for guys.?
McKinley led most of the game, going up by 13 late in the third. But Thomas and Lamar Tucker (16 points) rallied Shaw to set up the thrilling finish. ?It?ll kind of energize things,? Malone said. ?We?re on the road Saturday at Zanesville, but we?ll be home the rest of December. Hopefully, we?ll be able to build a little momentum with this.?
