Salem stays alive

‘Get Back Gang’ lives to play another day; Powell rediscovers shot, helps Salem CC take down Union 72-65 to lay claim as Region 19 champion, reach JUCO Division III fifth-place game

JUCO DIVISION III TOURNAMENT
At Herkimer (N.Y.) College
Friday’s Games
Consolation Bracket
Sandhills 78, Dutchess 77
Salem CC 72, Union 65
Championship Semifinals
Herkimer 72, Dallas Richland 59
Mohawk Valley 92, Minnesota State-Fergus Falls 90
Saturday’s Games
Fifth-place game
(10) Salem vs. (4) Sandhills, noon
Third-place game
(9) Dallas Richland vs. (3) Minnesota State, 2 p.m.
Championship Game
(5) Herkimer vs. (2) Mohawk Valley, 5 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

HERKIMER, N.Y. — The Salem CC basketball team responded to coach Mike Green’s challenge after a dreadful Elite 8 game the day before, Tamir Powell found his shot and the Mighty Oaks lived to play the final day of the JUCO Division III national tournament by taking out Region 19 rival Union Friday, 72-65.

The Mighty Oaks (25-8) will now play Sandhills (N.C.) CC for fifth place Saturday at noon. It’ll be their fourth game in four days.

The win avenged a 10-point regular-season loss to the Owls and had the Mighty Oaks claiming the Region 19 championship since the teams didn’t meet after winning their respective Region 19/North Atlantic District tournament brackets at Northampton.

They’ve now won four games against teams that beat them earlier in the season (Camden, Philadelphia, Montgomery County and Union) — the last three in the playoffs — earning the nickname “The Getback Gang.”

The Mighty Oaks played so much better in so many areas Friday than they did in the Elite 8 game. Playing with the heart and energy that was missing against Mohawk Valley, they outrebounded the bigger Owls, moved the ball around better (15 assists), created turnovers and made shots. If they were sharper from 3-point range they would have won by a wider margin.

“We challenged them and they answered the bell,” Green said. “I feel like we laid down yesterday. Mohawk Valley is a really good team, but I don’t think they’re 20 points better than us. I think we laid down and we just challenged them. I let them know they’ve got to respond and I think they responded today.”

The game followed the early script of the regular-season game between the teams with Salem again opening an early lead. Only this time they kept it up and never lost the lead after Jyheim Spencer put them up 23-22 with 5:14 left in the first half.

They got the biggest boost from Powell. The freshman from Philadelphia has struggled mightily in the national tournament with his shot. He was just 1-for-13 against Mohawk Valley and 2-for-26 through the first five halves of the tournament. His two makes were a goaltending basket Thursday and a layup in the first half Friday. He was 0-for-11 from 3 after hitting at a 36 percent during the season.

But he kept playing big minutes – he got 27 Friday – because he continued to guard and do the things that don’t necessarily show up in the box score.

His shot came around in the second half against the Owls. He opened Salem’s scoring in the half with back-to-back 3-pointers after Union tied the game at 32, giving the Mighty Oaks the cushion they maintained the rest of the game. The Owls brought it back to within four later in the half, then Powell stretched the lead back out with a conventional three-point play.

He finished with a team-high 17 points, 14 in the second half. He was 4-for-12 from the field in the half (5-of-19 for the game), but hit three from behind the arc.

“That game yesterday hurt him and I knew he was going to respond,” Green said. “He’s a Philly kid; he’s tough. He still didn’t have a great shooting night, but he hit the ones when we went on our run.”

Powell had been shooting it so bad up here he really wanted to feel like finding some corner to crawl into and disappear, but the shooter in him told him to keep firing.
 
He’d gone through shooting slumps before in high school and travel ball and he’s always snapped out of it. With the help of his teammates, particularly guard A.J. Jones, and family back home offering encouragement, he knew he would again.

“I feel like all I had to see was one go in to get me rolling and I feel like that’s what happened,” a ‘very relieved’ Powell said. “I knew the shots were going to come, that’s why I didn’t stop shooting; 1-for-20, 1-for-13, just keep shooting. I know my teammates and my coaches they want me to shoot it, they’ve got my back, I’m going to let it go.”

The Owls scored the first two baskets of the second half to tie the game. Powell squared up in the right corner and answered with his first 3 since the district championship game March 1. He got it the next trip down the floor and did it again. Akeem Taylor capped the flurry with a three-point play.

“What went through my mind at that instant is it’s on, we’re really not losing this game,” Powell said. “I don’t know what it is about the second half with us, we just come out on fire. I think it’s our halftime talk.”

Taylor continued to be the Mighty Oaks most valuable player and with a reasonable final game for the Saturday will likely land a spot on the all-tournament team. He had 16 points and nine rebounds Friday. Xavier Brewington had 10 points after going scoreless against Mohawk Valley. Spencer had six points and 11 rebounds.

ACORNS: By the time the Mighty Oaks wrap up the tournament, they will have played teams from six different states this season (seven counting scrimmages) … Freshman center Stefan Phillips suffered a broken nose after taking an elbow to the face late in the second half. He is doubtful for the final game of the season … Tyrese Fortune has also struggled with his shot this tournament (1-for-15), but he’s been plagued by a right wrist injury he sustained in the team’s final on-campus practice … Dutchess CC, the No. 1 seed in the tournament who bowed out in two games, is interested playing the Mighty Oaks next season … The championship game will be a neighborhood rivalry between Herkimer and Mohawk Valley. The schools are 15 miles apart.

SALEM CC 72, UNION 65
SALEM CC (25-8): Tamir Powell 5-19 4-7 17, Tyrese Fortune 1-6 3-5 5, Xavier Brewington 3-11 2-2 10, Akeem Taylor 6-14 4-5 16, Jyheim Spencer 3-5 0-1 6, Dontarius Jones 2-3 0-0 5, A.J. Jones 1-3 4-6 6, Tivon Woolford 0-0 0-0 0, Josh Ramos 1-3 0-0 3, Rodney Shelton 1-2 0-0 2, Tajee Jordan 0-0 0-0 0, Stefan Phillips 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-67 17-26 72.
UNION (24-6): David McKnight 5-10 2-2 14, Nicolas Acosta 1-4 0-0 2, Joseph Gargiulo 4-9 1-4 9, Kanye Brown 0-0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Saint Jean 1-2 0-0 2, Jayden Bates 4-11 0-0 8, Devin Geiger 6-14 10-10 22, Craig West 1-3 0-1 3, Amaad Kennedy 2-2 1-1 5. Totals 24-55 14-18 65.

Salem	32	40-	72
Union	28	37-	65