Lowry Makes The Big Plays
LEWES, Del. -- Demetris Nichols hit a barrage of fourth quarter three pointers, but it wasn't enough to help St. Andrew's (RI) stave off defeat for the second straight day at the Slam Dunk to the Beach.
The Saints fell, 76-73, on Monday afternoon to Cardinal Dougherty H.S. of Philadelphia. St. Andrew's Nick Mattone had a chance to send the game into overtime with a three pointer, but his shot from just to the left of the top of the key was short.
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St. Andrew's trailed by just two at the half, but the Cardinals from Dougherty used a strong 21-9 surge to take a commanding 53-39 lead with 1:01 remaining in the third quarter. Impressive 6-6 sophomore forward Shane Clark capped the run by scoring off the glass.
A technical foul call against Saints Head Coach Mike Hart seemed to turn the tide of the game in the Cardinals' favor. Hart protested a foul call against a Saint player on Dougherty point/combo guard Kyle Lowry. Lowry hit the free throw, then Isaac Greer hit the pair of technicals to push the lead to 46-38.
Dougherty led 61-48 early in the fourth quarter before St. Andrew's rallied behind Nichols' hot hand from beyond the arc. The Syracuse bound Nichols hit three treys in the final five minutes, the last of which pulled the Saints to within 70-69 with 1:27 to play.
Lowry made several big plays in the final minute, carving up the St. Andrew's defense for an easy assist and canning a pair of critical free throws to help preserve the Cardinal victory. He was the one player that the Saints had a difficult time containing all afternoon.
Lowry finished with 21 points, five rebounds and three assists, and earned an astounding 17 free throw chances (hitting 11). DeSean White, a beefy 6-7 junior forward with silky touch, tallied 21 points, while Clark registered 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks for the victors.
After a poor shooting day on Sunday, Nichols hit four of seven three pointers and nine of 15 field goal attempts on the way to a game high 22 point effort. Forward Milos Mirkovic added 17 points and sharpshooter Abdi Lidonde 14 in defeat.
With the victory, Cardinal Doughery claimed third place in the Slam Dunk National eight team bracket. St. Andrew's finished fourth.