01-17-15
BY JACK BULLOCK
MOUNDS - The Meridian Bobcats are very difficult to beat on their home floor and in back-to-back seasons the visitors from Madison found out that no lead is too safe.

The Trojans were in command in the third quarter, leading 47-33 with all the momentum going their way.

However the host Bobcats turned up the intensity more than just a notch in the final eight minutes.

Getting a game-high 25-points from 6-foot-2 senior forward Devare Edmonds and a key steal and fast break lay in by senior leader David Davis in the final seconds, Meridian capped a wild comeback, 67-64 in the finale of this annual MLK Shootout at Jim Byassee Gymnasium.

Edmonds and Davis helped initiate the 27-13 fourth quarter turnaround as Meridian improved to 14-3 with the victory over the shocked Madison squad who fell for the second straight game after holding big leads.

Davis, not only made the steal and scored on a the lay in, subsequently and calmly made two free throws with :15 left to give the Bobcats the final margin of victory in front of a large home crowd.

Davis, in fact, scored 10 of the teams' final 12-points.

Trailing 62-55 with 2:48 remaining, Davis grabbed an offensive rebound off of a missed free throw by teammate Tyrone Nesby and stuck the ball back in the goal to cut the Madison advantage to just five.

After an Edmonds drive down the lane, Davis took control of the contest.

Davis made a nice fake in the right corner and then drove the baseline for a score to cut the Trojans' once insurmountable lead down to just 62-61 with 1:45 left.

Madison was led in scoring by senior guard Dayman Warren (19-points), who answered the Davis score with a bucket of his own with just under a minute left.

However that would be the final Trojan tally.

On the next offensive trip, Davis managed to grab a loose ball after a mad scramble ensued.

He then drove to the basket for a score to make it 64-63 Madison.

Working the ball up court and into the offensive zone, the Trojans committed their final turnover of the game.

Davis grabbed the ball on a steal and sprinted down the left sideline all the way to the basket for a 65-64 lead with :43 left.

The Trojans had a shot to get back the lead on the next possession but an off balance shot by senior Terrence Glover missed the mark and Edmonds rebounded.

He got the ball to Davis who was fouled.

The senior lefty stuck both foul shots to secure the win.

This was a complete “deja vu” moment for Madison and head coach Jaime Cotto-Rodriguez as his team also had a lead in the fourth quarter last season only to lose the game late to the hosts.

Coach Cotto-Rodriguez compared this game to last season's trip to Mounds, a 76-71 overtime loss to the Bobcats.

In that game, Madison led 62-54 with 2:11 left.

“One of the things that we have been trying to express to this team is 'the next play'. We had three consecutive turnovers (to start the fourth quarter) and we have been doing that a lot this season,” added Coach Cotto-Rodriguez. “We have let one mistake snowball into four or five in a row. We just have to have a short term memory and be better than that. Right now we aren't getting beat physically. As a coach this is the part that I have to get the kids to figure out how to win these games.”

Madison misfired on two 3-point attempts in the final seconds and Davis, of course, grabbed the final rebound of the night as Meridian dribble out the clock for the well earned victory.

Madison lost a big lead the night before against Highland and his club struggled mightily in the fourth quarter with nine of their 24-turnovers in the final frame.

“They are much quicker than us and we are not used to that. But we have got to do a better job of closing out games,” said Coach Cotto-Rodriguez. “We lost the Highland game last night with turnovers at the end and tonight we did the same thing. Last year we came down here and it was missed free throws that did it. But now we aren't even getting shot attempts.”

Beginning their eventual winning run in the third quarter, Meridian cut the lead down to 50-40 heading to the final stanza and then proceeded to put together a rally that turned the tide in their favor down the stretch.

Coach Erik Griffin saw his club take their defense to a new level in the final quarter and they hit the glass with a vengeance, something that the Trojans failed to deal with.

Behind Edmonds and Davis, the 'Cats also got scoring help from junior Daniel Valentine with 12-points and eight points each from Cayten Ballard and Nesby.

“That (defensive quickness) has been our game-plan all year. We know we have depth and our guys who start have all the confidence in the world. And the guys off the bench come in and we don't lose anything defensively or athletically,” said Coach Griffin. “The guys come in and pressure the basketball and they know they can be aggressive. They believe in each other and that is huge.”

Besides Warren, Madison got double-digits in points from Donovan Crowder with 16-points while Glover added 10.

In a game in which the Trojans were playing well enough to win for nearly three quarters, the final 12-minutes belonged to the Bobcats.

In that stretch, Meridian outscored Madison 34-17.

This was a game in which both teams got on extended scoring runs with their preferences to run the floor.

Meridian jumped out to a quick 9-4 advantage, with Edmonds scoring six of those points.

Madison followed that run by goint on an 13-0 burst, highlighted by nine points from Crowder on a pair of conventional three-point plays and a long 3-pointer from the left side.

When teammate Warren drove down the middle for a score with 2:42 left, Coach Griffin needed a timeout at 17-9 Madison.

A 9-3 run by Meridian with points coming from Edmonds, Ballard and Valentine closed the wild scoring quarter at 21-18 Madison.

Meridian got a brief lead in the second stanza when a rebound basket by Edmonds made it 26-25 Bobcats.

Subsequently the Trojans finished the quarter strong with a 12-1 spurt.

Four different Madison players scored for Coach Cotto-Rodriguez with Crowder and Warren scoring two baskets each.

A Crowder rebound basket and a drive by Warren gave Madison a 37-27 lead.

A tally by Tyrone Nesby sent the clubs to the lockerroom at 37-29.

The Trojans appeared to have put the final dagger into the hosts midway into the third quarter.

Three consecutive scores; a score in the paint by 6-foot-5 senior Jerry Haynes, a fast break lay in from Crowder and a steal and transition basket by Warren gave Madison its largest lead at 14 with 4:29 left which forced a Meridian timeout.

The sky fell on the Trojans from that point forward as nothing went right for the visitors, who saw their record fall to 8-8 on the season.

The figures, for a normal high school game, were staggering.

And statistically there were several “if's and but's” that could have swung the outcome either way.

Meridian, had they stayed away from the 3-point line on this night, could have walked away with an easy win.

The Bobcats were just 1-of-14 from beyond the arc.

However the host hit 24-of-48 from two point range to finish at 38.7 percent overall.

Madison shot the ball much better than the 'Cats, connecting on 24-of-48 overall, the exact figure that Meridian had from inside the arc.

But they were just 2-of-10 from downtown.

While Meridian was missing more shots, that also meant there were more opportunities for rebounds in which the Bobcats cashed in with 16-offensive boards.

Meridian held a 34-33 rebounding edge.

“Davare Edmonds, a guy who I am biased for, I think he is the best rebounder in southern Illinois,” said Coach Griffin. “He is just 6-foot-2 but it is almost impossible to keep him off the boards. And then we bring in Daniel Valentine and he is a heck of an offensive rebounder. Both of the Nesby brothers (Tyrone and Byron) are great offensive rebounders and Davis is a great offensive rebounder for a guard. It is something that is a strength for us.”

Although Meridian committed 17-turnovers of their own, Madison couldn't overcome the 24-mistakes (nine late) in the heart wrenching loss on the road.

Neither team shot the ball well from the foul line.

Meridian was just 13-of-28 from the line while Madison hit just 7-of-14.

Meridian heads into a new experience for the program, as they are entered in the Benton Invitational Tournament which begins on Monday.

The Bobcats will play five games in six days and open against Hamilton County at 6 pm.

Madison must now regroup after two tough defeats as they will play at the inaugural Okawville Invitational Tournament which begins on Tuesday night.

The Trojans will face Vandalia in the tournament opener at 6 pm.

“This was almost a replay of the game against Anna-Jonesboro down at Eldorado. We were down heading into the fourth quarter and the kids just decided that they weren't going to lose this game,” said Coach Griffin. “When they get in that mindset, it is just fun to sit back and watch it happen. They went out and fixed every mistake that we had made in those first 24-minutes. And we still had enough left down the stretch to finish off the game and come away with the win.”

The 5-foot-10 veteran guard scored 13 of his points in the first half and then helped close out the win by hitting 7-of-10 free throws in the fourth quarter as Coach Ethan Stringer's squad improved to 9-8 on the season.

Despite hitting just 17-of-35 free throws overall, Century got over the .500 mark for the season.

Six-foot-three senior forward Collin Jones added 10-points for the Centurions who survived a comeback by Risco.

The Tigers were topped by senior guard Luke Simmons with 15-points while sophomore Drew Fortner added 14.

Wallace nailed a pair of 3-point shots in the second half as Lovejoy broke a 45-all tie to close the game on a 10-2 run.

Teammate La'Anthony Carruthers added 10-points while Arland Paulette added six.

Matt Mandrell's Egyptian club got 15-points from Ryan Saunders and 12-points from Noah Dillingham in the lose, making the Pharaohs 2-16 on the season.

Lovejoy is now 2-12 on the season.