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Sussex Tech Escapes With
Narrow Win Over Rival Central
By DAVID MAULL, Cafe Locale
Were it not for the last two minutes of every quarter, Sussex Tech might have walked away with a 30-point high school boys' basketball victory over Georgetown rival Sussex Central Tuesday night.
But the Ravens repeatedly let the Golden Knights off the canvas after delivering what appeared to be a series of knockout blows and survived a major scare before escaping with a 54-52 victory in front of a large and boisterous crowd in Sussex Central's tiny gym on Jan. 5, 1999.
"Every time we had a chance to put them to sleep, we didn't do it," said Tech coach Jerry Kobasa, whose team improved to 7-1 overall, 4-1 in the Henlopen Conference.
Tech led by 16 late in the second quarter and 13 midway through the third before allowing the Knights to go on a 9-0 run that pulled them within four entering the final period. After extending their lead to 12 with two minutes to play, the Ravens saw Central reel off 10 straight points and have a chance to tie the game at the free throw line with no time remaining.
"We did things that weren't very mature and we just let them crawl back in," Kobasa said. "We've got to work on protecting the ball. Right now, that's one of our weak spots. We break presses really well but when we get in that last minute, we just don't protect the ball well."
Tech led 54-42 with 2:16 remaining but did not score again the rest of the way. Central's Jay Balback sank a 3-pointer off the right wing to trigger a game-ending rally that sent the capacity crowd into a frenzy.
After Balback's trey, John Gordy hit a 15-footer and Travis Leonard scored on a power move along the baseline to make it 54-49. A steal by Tony Cintron set up George Dutton's 3-pointer from the top of the circle that pulled the Knights within 54-52 with 37 seconds to play.
On Tech's ensuing possession, Tynell Tingle lost the ball out of bounds, giving Central a chance to win or force overtime. After Cintron missed a short baseline jumper, Leonard grabbed the rebound and was fouled on a put-back attempt at the buzzer.
With no time left, Leonard missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving Tech the victory.
"That's a lot of pressure - one man in front of a capacity crowd about to shoot," Central coach Tim Slade said of Leonard's missed foul shot.
There was little celebrating in the visitors' locker room afterwards, as the Ravens dealt with the shock of having a double-digit evaporate so rapidly.
"They were down after this win because they know they played hard and then they just kind of let down again," Kobasa said. "Our feet looked tired the second half. We looked a little slow and we weren't moving as well as we do."
Brian Polk, who led Tech with 18 points, was at a loss to explain the team's near collapse.
"I can't really say what happened. I don't really know," he said. "We could have played better. It's not a disappointment because we won, so we should still keep our heads up."
Added guard Tynell Tingle, who finished with 13 points, including three 3-pointers: "We could have played a whole lot better. We should have played a whole lot better."
Polk played at Central last year but transferred to Sussex Tech in the offseason. Making his first appearance at his old school in a Raven uniform, Polk teamed with Tingle to give the Ravens a huge lead early in the game.
Polk and Tingle each hit three 3-pointers in the first half as Tech built a 36-20 lead. All three of Polk's treys came in the second quarter and the junior finished the half with 13 points. Tingle had 11 points in the half.
"Once you step on the court with your teammates, then you do business against whoever," Polk said, downplaying his return to Sussex Central. "It (win) is sweet but we didn't play like we should have."
Tech used a strong first-half defensive effort to spark its transition game and went into intermission with a 36-24 lead. The Ravens were aided by a 15-2 run early in the second quarter.
The teams traded scores in the early stages of the third quarter before the Knights put together a 9-0 run that got them back in the game. Leonard had two free throws and a dunk and Dutton a 3-pointer during the spurt, which made it 41-37 heading into the final period.
But Polk took matters into his own hands early in the fourth quarter, hitting a free throw and scoring on a put-back and a 16-footer to give Tech some breathing room. Those scores triggered a 13-5 run that put the Ravens ahead 54-42 with 2:16 remaining.
Brandon Palmer finished with 15 points for Tech.
"Our guys played their hearts out tonight. I'm very happy," Slade said. "You see nothing but smiles on our faces. We still have a lot of work to do but we showed right now that we can play with one of the best teams in the state."
After dropping their first four games of the season, Central has won three of its last five.
"Like I said at the beginning of the year, once we gain some experience, we're going to be a team to be reckoned with," Slade said. "The first half I wasn't totally happy with what we did but the second half we showed what we can do. Until we learn to come out and put teams away early, these things are going to happen."
Leonard led Central with 16 points while Cannon and Dutton added 12 each.
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