There are nearly two months of basketball left on the docket, but this game between Brookside and Open Door will still stack up as one of the season’s best when it’s all said and done.
For 32 minutes, the result remained in question as two evenly matched teams battled it out. Trailing by seven early in the fourth quarter, it was the Cardinals (7-3) who made more plays late and came back to win a 68-67 thriller Jan. 6.
“You always want have good, competitive games in your nonconference,” Brookside coach Larry Babics said. “Every time we play Open Door, it’s like this. It comes down to the last couple of minutes. They’re very talented, obviously they go on runs. We had some runs. Again, you’re lucky to make one more play and score one more point, but it’s a good win.”
Open Door (5-5) finally looked to have seized the momentum for good after taking a 58-51 lead in the fourth. However, Brookside’s full-court pressure finally started to wear down the host Patriots.
The Cardinals started to deny Anthony Januzzi the ball, late and the Patriots’ turnovers started to increase.
After turning the ball over only six times in the first three quarters, they turned it over six times alone in the fourth. The difference proved to be Brookside having the depth to pressure other teams for an entire game, and Open Door’s lack thereof with only seven players.
“We’re playing a very good basketball team, and they have a lot more depth than we do. He’s running guys in and out of there,” Open Door coach Alan Januzzi said. “Our kids battled and fought. We had some opportunities at the end of the game there. All of the credit goes to Brookside. That’s what they do: They wear you down.”
With that being said, Open Door’s seven-man rotation is hard to guard. The Patriots got a huge performance from Julius Moon with 30 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 17 in the first half as his team led, 33-31, at halftime.
Brookside started the third quarter with a 10-2 run to take the lead back. Nolan Waechter and Brandon Sharpe spearheaded it, which was no surprise given the Cards’ guard duo combined for 39 points. Waechter had a team-high 22 points, followed by Sharpe’s 17.
However, Open Door didn’t fold. Over the final 6:30 of the third quarter, the Patriots more than doubled up the Cardinals in points, 21-10.
Late in the third, Januzzi made his second triple to tie it, and RJ Penney scored to put the Patriots back in front. The lead was extended to five as Moon was left all alone for a layup in the final seconds.
“That’s what he’s capable of doing,” Januzzi said of Moon. “He played a great game. The offense was going through him, that’s what we needed to do. He came to play, he made great decisions and didn’t force anything.”
Moon kept it going in the fourth, increasing the lead to seven. However, Open Door scored only nine more points in the final seven-plus minutes. Sharpe hit a big 3 and Waechter cut the deficit to two with free throws. Anthony Robinson scored down low to tie it up.
The Patriots went back up three after a free throw and a bucket from Moon, but Brookside quickly tied it with a 3-pointer from Jayden Nazario. He scored all 11 of his points in the second half.
Everyone knows about Waechter’s scoring prowess and his ability to knock down big shots. His goal coming into this season was to get better at the other aspects of the game such as defending and rebounding. In the final minute, he grabbed a key offensive rebound and was fouled. His free throws put Brookside back in front with 39.5 remaining.
“We talked about it up top, (the difference) was free throws,” Waechter said. “We’ve had a lot of games where we can’t hit or even shoot free throws. To be able to get into the lane and earn free throws and knock them down tonight, I think that was the difference maker.”
Open Door got a great look to tie it on the ensuing possession, but it didn’t fall. After getting fouled, Nazario’s free throws extended the lead to four.
Moon scored once again for Open Door to cut the deficit back down to two with 7.5 left. Sharpe made one of his free throws, giving Open Door one last chance down by three. Aaron Pattee’s game-tying shot was no good, and while Moon scored at the buzzer after an offensive board, the Patriots were a point short.
“It shows that we don’t panic,” Sharpe said. “The crowd was very loud in here. There were a lot of things that went wrong during the game, but we still stayed in it and got the job done.”
This win completes a satisfying weekend for the Cardinals after beating Wellington the night prior. They are back in conference play at Black River on Jan. 9. Open Door’s next game is also against the Pirates, on Jan. 11.
