The Shot Heard ‘Round Loudoun’

By: Dan Sousa

Leesburg (Jan. 27, 2007) – Heritage High School senior D.J. Summers stroked a pull-up jumper with 13 seconds remaining Saturday night to give the Pride a 69-68 victory over Park View. The win left Heritage and Potomac Falls tied for the AA Dulles District lead at 8-2 with four games for each team remaining.

“That was the shot heard ’round Loudoun,” said Heritage coach Mark Mallisham. “That is what high school basketball is all about. The fans were here tonight. It was a great environment. The Dulles District (race) is wide open.”

Park View, 9-3 in district, will now need some help if they are to win or force a tie for the district title and the Region II playoff berth that goes along with it.

For at least nine seconds Saturday it looked like Park View would escape with the win and maintain its district lead after Amechi Anyaugo went inside for a basket with 23 seconds left to tie the game at 67. Anyaugo was fouled on the play and he converted the free throw to give the Patriots the lead, 68-67.

It was a short-lived lead as Summers penetrated towards the middle and then pulled-up for the game-winning jumper.

“It wasn’t even a set play. Amechi overplayed me a little and I was able to hit the shot,” said Summers.

Ironically, Mallisham had been getting on Summers’ case in practice on Friday about his penchant for throwing up some wild shots in the lane instead of textbook form jumpers.

“He stopped on a dime in a crucial situation tonight,” said Mallisham.

Park View had a final chance to win the game. The Patriots had to call a timeout with 2.7 seconds left after a mad scramble for a loose ball on their end. With not a lot of time to work with and the ball out-of-bounds near midcourt, Park View guard Marcus Freeman got the ball and his twisting shot near the 3-point line almost went in at the buzzer.

“That ****** almost went in,” said Mallisham.

It was Freeman who hit a 3-pointer with 50 seconds left that helped Park View cut into a 66-60 Heritage lead. Down by three, Kenny smith stole a long pass while the Patriots were applying a trapping fullcourt press, and he thre it up ahead to Anyaugo, who laid it in to make it 66-65 Heritage with 40 seconds to go.

Park View then put Bobby Edmonds on the foul line with 31 seconds left and the Pride senior made one of two for a 67-65 Pride lead. That set up the clutch antics of Anyaugo and then Summers.

The game was tight in the first quarter but the Patriots, playing without 6-foot-5 center James Nolen who is out for the season with a broken hand suffered against Freedom, went on a 6-0 run to end the first quarter to take a 22-16 lead.

For most of the first half, Park View center Thomas Mulabah had his way as he scored 12 of his 14 points. Freeman finished with a team-high 15 and Anyaugo had 14 for Park View.

The Patriots stretched the lead to 32-20 before Heritage mounted a comeback.

“People get up on us but we don’t hit the panic button,” said Mallisham.

The Pride turned up the defensive pressure, moving from a zone to more man coverage and Park View started making some turnovers. While Park View had only made two turnovers in the game to that point, the Patriots made six turnovers in the final four minutes of the second quarter.

“Our goal was not to let Amechi touch the basketball,” said Mallisham about his team’s plans to limit the Patriot sparkplug.

Heritage started finding the range from the 3-point arc with Myron McGowan hitting two treys and Summers knocking down a 3-pointer as Heritage fought back to tie the game at 38 at the half. In all the Pride had five players combine for 10 3-pointers.

“For us the 3-ball is a lay-up,” said Mallisham.

Pride point guard Chris Broderick led Heritage in scoring with 15 and Preston Findley added 14. Edmonds scored 13 and McGowan had 10 for Heritage.

Neither team could claim the game in the third quarter and Heritage led 53-50 going into the final quarter.

Free throws played a key role in the contest as Park View was just 7 of 16 from the line, while Heritage was 9 of 14.

With Park View back ahead 60-59 with 4:12 left, Findley knocked down a 3-pointer to give Heritage the 62-60 lead. And that is where the score would stay until 1:08 left.

As the Pride had slowed down the pace and didn’t show any desire to attack the basket, the Patriots were forced to foul. And foul they did as Broderick and Edmonds combined to shoot six throws in an 11-second span. Broderick was 3 of 4 total and Edmonds was 1 of 2 to give the Pride a 66-60 lead with 57 seconds left.

Box

Heritage 69 Park View 68

Park View
Anyaugo 6 2-4 14, Leizear 1 0-0 0 2, Freeman 6 0-1 15, Jackson 4 0-0 10, Harvin 3 3-8 9, Dufford 2 0-0 4, Mulabah 6 2-3 14. Totals 28 7-16 68

Heritage
Broderick 4 3-4 15, Findley 5 1-2 14, Edmonds 5 2-4 13, McGowan 3 1-2 10, Summers 4 0-0 9, Massey 2 0-0 4, Alcala 0 2-2 2, Rustin 1 0-0 2. Totals 25 9-14 69

3-Pointers: Park View 5 (Freeman 3, Jackson 2); Heritage 10 (McGowan 3, Findley 3, Broderick 2, Edmonds 1, Summers 1)