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PULASKI – In what is always an interesting match up between the two, Dublin and Pulaski Middle Schools competed on Thursday in boy’s and girl’s basketball for the second time this season. The opening contest of the night saw the Lady Dukes get the better of Lady Orioles for the second time this season, 35-23.
The better of the two games came in the night cap, when the boy’s teams put on a show, trading baskets throughout the entire game. Ultimately, Dublin used a later Tyler Ervine steal and lay up to pull ahead and stay out front for the tough 41-39 victory.
“It was really tough, hard-fought game,” said Dukes coach Richard Lewis. “It was a physical game. Both teams played real hard. We just got a few points at the end and won. We knew it wasn’t over until the end. For us, it was a team effort. Nobody did that much more than anyone else and the guys that came in off the bench really contributed to help us hold them off too.”
From the opening moments of the boy’s contest, you could tell it was going to be a chess match between the two teams, as they both traded basket after basket. The lead changed nine times in the opening quarter, but Dublin would take the first quarter lead after a Zack Bradley rebound and lay up, 11-10.
During the early part of the second quarter, the teams continued to jostle for baskets. The game became a fast-paced affair that saw the two teams run the floor, creating both points and turnovers. After Pulaski took the 13-12 lead early in the quarter after an Alex Simmons lay up, Dublin’s Marcus Johnston would drive the lane, be fouled, and make one of his two free throw attempts, knotting the game up at 13-13.
Things would continue to remain close until the Orioles held a 15-14 lead. That’s when Johnston would turn up the pressure. After Bradley made a lay up to give Dublin the 16-15 lead, Johnston would score on two straight possessions, taking the Duke lead to 20-15 into halftime.
With an extremely defensive and quick paced game, the Orioles knew that being down five points would be a big task to overcome. However, they used the entire third quarter to claw back into the contest.
Tyler Blevins and Brandon Walters scored lay ups, while Lonnie Mattox had a nice assist to Kris Hayes for a score from half court. Dublin’s lone bucket in the early going would be Johnston lay up to open the quarter, while Bradley also had a lay up. That Pulaski scoring and lack of points from Dublin would cut the lead to one, 25-24.
The score would be tied at 26-26 after Dublin’s Bradley made one free throw and Pulaski’s Blevins hit two. Dublin would come back though with two baskets to close the quarter. Malik Eaves and Bradley had the scores, as Dublin took a 30-28 lead at the end of the third.
Just as Dublin had done in the second, Pulaski would have their own offensive burst in the fourth quarter in the form of Logan Alley. He would connect on a three-pointer to open the quarter and also steal the ball on the next possession, drive the floor, and be fouled. He would connect on two free throws, giving the Orioles a 33-30 lead early in the fourth. Things started to look bleak for Dublin, as Marcus Burkes connect on a jumper, as the Oriole lead continued to grow.
Bradley would continue to work hard for the Dukes though, as he would get fouled after a lay up attempt and hit one of his free throws, breaking the streak of Oriole scoring and bringing the score to 35-31.
That is when the game would change. Blevins, who had been one of many key weapons for the Orioles, was called for a charge on a questionable call. That would give Blevins his fifth foul, disqualifying him from the game. Goff was very vocal about the call after the game.
“One call beat us,” said Orioles coach Daniel Goff. “Two minutes to go, we are up five, Tyler Blevins drives the lane, they call a charge, and it’s obviously not a charge. Anyone in the gym knows that wasn’t a charge. So instead of going to the line for two points, which Tyler Blevins is one of our better free throw shooters, and possibly being up seven or six with Tyler Blevins still in the game, instead, we are only up five and Tyler Blevins is out of the game. That was the game right there. One call was the game. The referees made the difference tonight in the game and that is unfortunate for the kids from Pulaski because they played their hearts out.”
That foul gave Dublin the much needed momentum in the game. Bradley would score on the Dukes next possession off of a missed shot and rebound. Dillon Alley added another basket to tie the game, 35-35, after Mattox would miss a free throw attempt on the previous possession.
The two teams traded scores before Goff took a timeout to prepare the next in-bounds play. However, Dublin’s Tyler Ervine would steal the in-bounds and get a lay up that sent the Duke crowd into a frenzy.
Pulaski would once again try to in-bound the ball and would be successful. However, the Orioles would lose the ball on their end of the quarter. It was Ervine again who would come up with the steal and be fouled. He would nail his two free throws, sending the Dublin lead to four, 41-37, with nine seconds remaining.
“He [Ervine] got the steal and then the two pressure free throws at the end,” Lewis said. “He is a really tough, hard-nosed player. He has been ill all season since football. He has really helped us as he has been able to come back and play a lot. He has made a big difference being steady at the point guard.”
Mattox would get a steal and lay up on the next Dublin in-bounds, but the two remaining seconds would tick off the clock, as the Dukes survived the charge to even their series with Pulaski up this year at one game a piece.
Both Zack Bradley and Marcus Johnston finished with 13 points in the game. Ervine scored eight points. On the Pulaski side, Logan Alley finished with 15 points, while Tyler Blevins six points.
The girl’s game saw a much different game from when the two teams played earlier this year. Dublin won that game, 50-25, but Pulaski refused to let the Dukes get away from them this time.
Dublin would get off to a quick start and led 9-4 just before the end of the first quarter. However, Pulaski’s Shuby Shumate would get her team back into the contest. She would score on a lay up, get a steal and lay up, which cut the Dublin lead to 11-10 after one quarter. On the Orioles next drive, Shumate would drive the lane for a foul, which she converted into a free throw. That tied the game 11-11 after one quarter.
The second quarter saw the Dukes pull out of a tie with Pulaski and build a strong lead heading into halftime. It was a team effort that saw Gracie White, Maegen Memitt, Alyson Gilbert, and Chelsea Golden all score during the quarter. Defensively, Dublin only allowed one Pulaski point in the quarter – a Tyra Redd free throw. That effort on both offense and defense gave the Dukes a 20-12 lead at halftime.
Pulaski would mount a charge in the second half, as Shumate would try to be the catalyst for a Oriole comeback. She would drive the ball into the paint and be fouled three times, connecting on three free throws in the quarter.
However, her Dublin counterparts would match her effort and the Dublin lead would remain eight, 27-19, heading into the final quarter of play.
To combat an extremely talented offensive attack, Pulaski coach Teresa Taylor would implement a full court press. However, the Dukes would still manage to score the first three baskets of the quarter, extending their lead to 33-19. In the end, the second quarter burst by Dublin would keep them ahead in the game, as the Lady Orioles dropped their second contest of the season to the Lady Dukes, 35-23.
Carlie Clary scored eight points for Dublin, while Gracie White and Meredith Mitchell had seven points. Maegen Memitt also had six points for the Dukes. Shuby Shumate finished with 11 points for the Orioles.
“They came out and played really well,” said Lady Dukes coach Nicholle Douglas. “I was happy to see that for the Orioles. Our team has been working on some things in practice and they really put it together today. I was really happy for us. They all worked on the different things that they needed to do and I am really proud of every single player that went in.”
Despite the loss, Pulaski coach Teresa Taylor was proud of the effort her team gave in the game.
“I was really impressed with the girls,” Taylor said. “We have come a long ways from the beginning of the season. I think everyone, including the fans and parents, are seeing the improvement that we are making. I know we didn’t come out with the win, but the girls know they can beat Dublin. We were tied up 11-11, so they knew they have the ability to do that. I just want us to play aggressive every play. I am very proud of their progress. I can’t to see when we come back and play in January. We’ve got four games and play Dublin. So it would be good to see how we do at the end of the season.”
(12-18-09)
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