Speelman gives Gators win in OT
CONNELLSVILLE TWP. – Junior Mike Speelman buried a three-pointer with 40 seconds remaining in overtime to lift Geibel Catholic to a 66-64 win over Carmichaels in a key Section 2-A game Thursday night. The win improves the Gators to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in section games, while Carmichaels fell to 5-4, 3-1. It was Geibel Catholic coach Ken Misiak’s 691st career win.
It was anything but his easiest, however. “It must have been a great game to watch,” Misiak said. “To coach, I don’t know if I’d call it great.”
Carmichaels employed a triangle-and-2 defense on Geibel’s Rob Ramsey and Kellen Holmes. It limited Geibel’s scoring punch somewhat, but when the Gators needed it most, it was Holmes who slashed to the basket and dished the ball out to Speelman for the game-winner.
“I think Mike’s shot there at the end was the difference-maker,” Misiak said. “And Kellen did what we were asking him to do all night, drive and kick it back out.”
This match-up definitely had its peaks and valleys for both teams. The Gators built a 34-20 lead, only to watch Carmichaels come back strong by scoring the last eight points of the second quarter in what became a 19-2 run that produced a 39-36 Carmichaels lead with 3:16 remaining in the third quarter.
“The kids played real well in spurts,” Misiak said. “They worked really hard in our man-to-man defense, but when we went to a press and some zone, I think it opened things up for them.”
The biggest benefactor of the Gators’ zone was Jeff Lapkowicz. The Carmichaels senior led all scorers with 25 points, including six three-pointers. He also led the Mikes with 11 rebounds. It seemed that no matter how closely he was guarded, Lapkowicz would peel off a screen and find a crack to launch a trey.
And he buried more than he missed. The same could be said for Speelman, who buried three from long range and was fouled on another, hitting two of three free throws to tie the score, 44-44, 10 seconds into the fourth quarter.
Carmichaels went ahead, 51-46, forcing a Misiak timeout with 5:20 remaining.
“I told them that if we didn’t score here, we’re in trouble,” Misiak said.
Sure enough, the Gators got a Mitch Erdely three-pointer and a Rob Ramsey basket to tie it, only to let Lapkowicz free for another three-pointer. Erdely matched it toward the end of regulation to tie the score, 54-54. Carmichaels held the ball for the last minute, called time out with 11 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get off a quality shot and the game went to overtime.
Speelman hit a three-pointer at the outset, but Carmichaels went on a 10-2 run to take a 64-59 lead with 1:15 remaining. Geibel Catholic got single free throws from Kellen Holmes and Ramsey and a Holmes basket to slice Carmichaels lead to a single point, 64-63, with 58 seconds remaining. Ramsey rebounded Holmes’ miss and was fouled. He made one, then Holmes rebounded Ramsey’s miss and scored from in close.
That set the stage for Speelman’s winning shot. The Gators played tough defense the rest of the way, as the Mikes kept trying to find an open shot, but couldn’t.
“That was a tough one to lose,” Carmichaels coach Don Williams said. “The kids really played their hearts out tonight. We didn’t box out on foul shots two times and that hurt us.”
Neither coach was very pleased with the officiating job turned in by Keith Rumberger and Jim Osborn.
“To tell you the truth, some of the calls, I thought, were questionable,” Williams said.
“I think there were times when both of us were yelling for different things on the same play,” Misiak said. “They might have missed this call or that one, but it went both ways.”
Ramsey led Geibel Catholic with 20 points, Holmes added 13 points and 15 rebounds, while Erdely and Speelman finished with 11 each. The Gators meet the winner of Monday’s Southmoreland-Frazier game at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Charleroi Holiday Tournament.
Tyrone Pinson backed Lapkowicz’s 25 points with 15 for the Mikes, who host the annual Lions Club Holiday Tournament Monday and Tuesday.