Behind a buzzer beater that sent the game to overtime and a strong push in the second half to erase a 15-point deficit, Manchester Academy pulled off a huge upset on the road, defeating St. Joseph, 65-63.
The adage goes – it’ not over until it’s over. That overused phrase coaches love to quote couldn’t have been more true regarding Tuesday night’s conference matchup between the Fighting Irish and the visiting Mavericks.
In the first half, St. Joseph played like defending champions as they mixed a full court press on defense with a ton of athleticism and sharpshooting on offense to impose their will. It was tough for the Mavericks to gain any substantial momentum. Manchester Academy head man Jacob Iles attributed his team’s poor play to the winter break layoff. “We came out very sluggish and timid,” he said. “We let St. Joe do whatever they wanted to do.” Iles’ team was held to just six points in the second quarter as St. Joseph cruised to a 25-point frame, led by sophomore guard, Jarrian King.
But after halftime, although it didn’t happen with a single scoring run, momentum did switch. “We talked about it at halftime,” said Iles. “I told them to just chip away. You’re not going to make a 15-point bucket.”
The chipping away started on defense. Senior playmakers Dylan Deudy and Parks Poe came up with some huge stops and sacrificed their bodies to draw multiple charges to hold St. Joseph to just six total points in the third quarter but still trailed 38-32.
After cutting the lead to two, Deudy tied the game at 48 with a layup in traffic with 2:57 to go in the fourth quarter, forcing Fighting Irish head coach James Hunter to call a timeout to settle his team down.
Neither team could pull away in the final minutes but St. Joseph held a 53-51 lead with less than 10 seconds left in regulation, needing just one more stop on defense to escape with a narrow win.
However, Manchester Academy had other plans. With time running out, Iles went to his senior playmaker, Dylan Deudy, hoping he could deliver one more heroic act. He did. Deudy came through with a deep jumper from near the three-point line as time expired. The visiting fans erupted as the ball hit nothing but net to send the thrilling game to overtime.
Phillon Johnson helped St. Joseph get on the board first in the extra frame with an early layup but mistakes proved to be costly. The Mavericks found themselves with a 65-63 lead with 10.6 seconds left in the frame.
St. Joseph had a chance to return the favor, tie the game and send it to a second overtime. But three shots in the paint did not go down after two offensive rebounds gave them multiple chances to score before time ran out.
Iles said a win over the defending champions is a huge confidence booster. “Those guys never quit and never gave up,” he said. “I am proud of them.”
St. Joseph faces Greenville Christian Friday night in a matchup of cross-town rivals. Manchester Academy, still undefeated in conference play, is slated for a bout with Central Holmes Thursday night.
