SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — When Newman returned to the huddle going into overtime, a sudden calmness came upon them amidst the chaos. Even after blowing a huge lead late in Sunday’s Class AAA championship game, the Cardinals were ready to pounce.
“They messed up,” senior Reggie Grodin said. “They gave us extra life and once we got that opportunity … the message was, ‘Take it.’”
And then they did. Given a second life, Newman took full advantage by pulling away in overtime for a 107-100 victory over New Hampton to win the Class AAA title, the first in program history.
Junior star Lucas Morillo was named Class AAA tournament MVP after scoring 35 points, including clutch free throws in the final moments of regulation and overtime to seal the victory.
MORE NEPSAC TITLES: AA — Worcester Academy | A — Williston Northampton | B — Brooks
It didn’t come easy against New Hampton and its star-studded trio of Keyshuan Tillery, Mason Blackwood and Nasir Meyer – even if it looked like Newman would run away with it. The Cardinals led by 16 with less than 4 minutes remaining after a Grodin jumper before the Huskies made a furious comeback. They went on a 10-0 run in a 90-second span, closing the gap to six on a deep Meyer 3-pointer with 2:12 to go.
New Hampton gave Newman big trouble with its press, which led to a steal and three-point play from Tillery to cut the Cardinals’ lead to two with under a minute to go.
Newman led by four after two Jalen Harper free throws with 38 seconds left before Tillery drilled a 3-pointer. Morillo followed with two free throws before Tillery got to the cup and scored on a goaltending call to make it a one-point game with 11 seconds to go. But then, chaos ensued. Newman threw away the ensuing inbounds pass, which was stolen by Tillery. After a wild scramble, Meyer let go of a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer and was fouled by Harper with 0.3 seconds on the clock.
With a chance to win the game, Meyer made the first free throw before missing the second – sending the game to overtime and giving Newman its second chance.
The Cardinals then stayed composed, and somehow survived. They went on an 8-0 run to start overtime – which included two buckets from Morillo – and never looked back as they claimed a hard-earned championship.
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Grodin said of the season. “We’ve been great, but we’ve been working consistently hard all season. We haven’t drawn away from all of our goals. At the beginning of the season, we came together and set our goals and what we wanted to accomplish. I feel like we’ve done a great job staying connected, and when adversity hits, I feel like we got even more tight, and that’s the main thing. Getting tighter when adversity hits, and I think it showed in that game.”
Takeaways
1. I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say this was the craziest ending to a game of this NEPSAC season, and it’s fitting that it came in the final one between the two best teams in Class AAA. Credit to New Hampton, which showed great resilience and fight to be down 16 with less than four minutes left and force overtime. The Huskies were just one free throw away from winning a championship. It’s obviously brutal to lose the way they did, and fall in back-to-back Class AAA championship games, but head coach Andrew Gale deserves credit for what he’s built. The trio of Tillery, Blackwood and Meyer were amazing to watch and accomplished a lot in New England, and their journey isn’t over yet as they head to the national prep championships this week.
2. Morillo’s stat line – 35 points, 10 rebounds and four assists – only tells some of the story of his performance. For one, he was playing through some pain. The junior was knocked in the nose in Saturday’s semifinal win over Darrow, briefly left that game before returning and sealing that victory, and then on Sunday, was hit in the same spot, causing him to bleed again. He had to put a plug in his nose for part of the game. But he pushed through to will Newman to a championship win. Free-throw shooting has been an issue for Morillo this winter, but he’s worked hard at it and he came through in the biggest moment of the season, going 7-for-9 from the line, including several pressure ones late in the second half and overtime.
3. Newman wouldn’t have won this game without Harper, who poured in 26 points – including four 3-pointers – with five assists. The Rhode Island commit hit three triples in the second half, and converted a three-point play that put the Cardinals ahead by double digits as they went on their big run before New Hampton’s comeback. Collins Onyejiaka was also massive as he finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks, which included a huge dunk in transition that essentially sealed the game in overtime. Both Harper and Onyejiaka have improved significantly over the course of the winter, and it showed in the championship.
4. Wyoming got a bonafide steal with the commitment of Meyer, who clearly has high-major ability with his scoring and shot-making ability. The 6-foot-6 wing was incredible to start the game with 10 points in the first three minutes on three 3-pointers. He finished with 29 points on six 3-pointers, though he certainly would have loved to get 30 to secure a championship.
5. The first half of this game resembled a track meet, so much so that I almost thought they changed the rules to make the shot clock seven seconds instead of 30. The pace and shot-making was high-level. New Hampton delivered a strong first punch as it led for most of the first half, but Newman felt good about its chances as it tied the score at 49 by halftime.
6. It was honestly fitting that this game went to overtime the way it did. It was obviously tough for Meyer to miss that free throw in that moment, but it would have been cruel for Newman to lose in that fashion. Ultimately, the Cardinals and their depth won out, and in overtime, they were the more assertive team. Credit them for regaining their composure after blowing such a big lead.
