Gators rally past maples
MAPLETOWN – Now Ken Misiak and Bo Derek have something in common – a winning 10. While Derek took the 10 and went to pinup honors in the movies, Misiak watched his Geibel Catholic basketball players unload a 10-string last night and come from behind on the way to a 74-64 win over stubborn Mapletown in Section 2-A basketball action.
The win pulled Geibel into a first-place tie with California in Section 2-A, with their big rematch coming Friday at the Geibel gym.
The Maples, meanwhile, must win their regular-season finale at West Greene, and hope for a Carmichaels loss at home against Jefferson-Morgan, both on Friday night, to make the WPIAL playoffs. That scenario would pull Mapletown into a tie with Carmichaels for third place and both would go to the postseason since they split during the regular season.
Early in the third quarter, Geibel (13-6, 9-1) trailed 40-38, then the Gators got a three-pointer from Bob Ramsey, a Ramsey drive up the lane, a 3-pointer from Jordan White and a layup by Travis Welc. That 10-point run pulled the Gators from two down into an eight-point lead, 48-40, and they would not be caught again.
Mapletown (12-7, 6-5) got a free throw from Drew Denham, but the Gators came right back with another 10 – a 10-3 scoring lead the rest of the quarter – to build up a 14-point edge. After Denham scored, Zach Voithofer made one of two free throws with White grabbing the rebound from the miss. White put it back up, and soon after hit two free throws, then Dale Speggen swiped a Maple pass and drove for a layin and a 55-41 lead. Andy Erjavek hit a Maple layin and made it a three-point play when he was fouled, but Speggen offset that with another long three basket, leaving the Gators up 58-44 going into the third.
Mapletown got back within nine, 69-60, on a Justin Corso basket, but would get no closer the rest of the way.
Until the Gators made their 10-run in the third, Mapletown had the situation pretty well in hand. Andy Latusek put them ahead with a three to open the game, the first of seven that would be shot by both teams in the first and 16 overall in the game.
Mapletown stayed out front after that by two to nine points, until Geibel rallied for a 21-21 tie in the second on Travis Welc’s rebound goal, but Joe Kovach offset that with a rebound for Mapletown, and Denham added another three, for a 26-21 lead.
Geibel was down 32-26 late in the second, then Ramsey went up the lane for a bucket and followed that with a long three. White’s three put the Gators up 34-32 with 1:47 to go, and Kellen Holmes had a steal and layin for a 36-32 lead, before Clites’ layup left the Maples down 36-34 at intermission.
Mapletown coach Fred Morecraft said, “We made too many mistakes in the third quarter. We came out flat for the second half and they caught us, and when a team like Geibel gets a 10-point lead, they very rarely will lose that lead.
“We mixed our defenses in the first half and played well on defense overall, but then we didn’t do that in the second half. When they strung those 10 points early in the third, that swung things their way and they never lost the lead.”
Mapletown (12-7, 6-5) led 19-17 at the quarter, then Geibel took over at halftime, 36-34, and led 58-44 after three.
White led all scorers with 24, including five three-pointers, Ramsey had 16, and Welc 11 for the Gators. Clites led Mapletown with 18, Erjavek had 17, and Denham 10, including three long ones.
The Maples are in action again tonight when they host Fort Hill, Md., in a non-section game.