By Greg Chrapek
WKTV Contributor
Godwin Heights came out of the gate fast during Tuesday’s OK Silver showdown against NorthPointe Christian, but it was the visiting Mustangs that came away with a 69-67 win in a game that came down to the final seconds.
“You have to give the credit to NorthPointe,” said Godwin Heights Coach Tyler Whittemore. “They are a well-coached team and their kids played hard. They made some key shots and battled the entire game.”
Godwin Heights grabbed the early advantage in the game thanks to some outstanding defense and shot making on the offensive side of the floor. Godwin built a double-digit lead by the middle of the first quarter. The Wolverines were up 18-8 before NorthPointe Christian cut the margin in half by the end of the opening quarter.
The Wolverines kept control of the lead in the early going of the second quarter with a three-point shot by Jaylen Martin putting the Wolverines up 26-19 with 4:34 remaining in the half.
All tied up at the half
NorthPointe Christian, however, would not back down and a six-point Mustang run trimmed Godwin’s lead to a single point. By halftime, NorthPointe caught the Wolverines and the two teams went into the locker rooms tied at 34-34.
“We have a team full of seniors,” said NorthPointe Christian Coach Justin Yoder. “We start four seniors so we have a lot of experience. I told the guys no matter if we are up by 10 or down by 10, we have to stay the course. We have to execute on offense and play good defense.”
From halftime on, the game became a back-and-forth struggle, with neither team able to get more than a four-point lead in the third quarter or a five-point advantage in the fourth.
NorthPointe led 51-50 at the end of the third quarter before Godwin Heights surged ahead in the early minutes of the fourth. NPC led 65-63 with a minute remaining in the game when the Mustangs received a big play from Deangelo Person. He drove to the basket and scored and was also fouled on the play. Person added the free throw putting NorthPointe up 68-63.
Jamarion Collins trey tightens it up at the end
Godwin replied with a final run of its own. After a free throw by Jamarion Collins, the Wolverine defense came up with a stop and on the next possession Collins drained a three-point shot cutting the margin to 68-67 with 15 seconds remaining.
With eight seconds left in the game, NorthPointe’s Mitchell White split a pair of free throws that put the Mustangs up 69-67. Godwin had an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds, but a pair of missed free throws and a missed putback at the buzzer enabled NorthPointe to come away with the win.
“We had a shot at the end and that is all you can ask for,” Whittemore said. “They (NorthPointe) made the shots. That’s a really good team and we’ve battled back and forth with them all year.”
Godwin gets earlier win
Godwin Heights defeated NPC 84-72 when the two teams previously met January 10 at NorthPointe.
“Godwin is a really good team,” Yoder said. “We changed up our defense this time. We went to a 3-2 zone the whole game and tried to mix it up. It was a game of runs and I’m super-proud of my boys. This was a big win for us.”
Jakhary Towns scores 23
Jakhary Towns led Godwin with 23 points, followed by Collins and Damarie Thompson, 10 apiece and Marco Rodriguez, nine.
NorthPointe was led by Kayden Bird with 27 points and Person, 17.
With the loss, Godwin Heights fell to 10-4 overall and 6-3 in the league. The Wolverines return to action Friday when they host Calvin Christian and then host Belding next Tuesday.
