Shawnee began the game on a 7-2 run. Then, Chris Santo ('11) hit two layups to bring the Cougars within one. Marc Schlessel ('12) went on to combat Shawnee's continued scoring effort with two threes to tie the game at 12. Shawnee went on to score the last five points of the quarter to take the 17-12 lead after the first quarter.
Shawnee opened the second quarter with another basket. However, Dan Melleby ('11) stopped the damage by draining a three despite his shoulder being in a sling the entire game. The Cougars crept back within two with baskets from Santo, Schlessel and Jake Gurkin ('12). The Cougars tied the game at 26 with two Santo free throws before the end of the half. The game remained tied heading into the half.
The third quarter was very back-and-forth as the Cougars traded baskets with the Renegades. A Gurkin three-pointer gave the Cougars the two point advantage but then Shawnee immediately tied the game. Jesse Gold ('12) then drained a jumper for another Cougar lead. With about two and a half minutes left in the quarter, Gold knifed through the defense for a layup to give the Cougars a 37-35 lead. There was no more scoring in the third quarter.
The tension in the DiBart Gym in the fourth quarter could have been cut with a knife. Both teams struggled to score as the Cougars led 41-37 with four minutes left in the quarter via Santo free throws and a Schlessel layup. Shawnee scored another basket to bring the score to 41-39. The score stayed the same for minutes. After many missed layups and free throws, the Cougars failed to put Shawnee away as the Renegades tied the game with 27 seconds left. The Cougars could not capitalize on their last possession as the game went into overtime at 41-41.
The four minute overtime period began with Shawnee hitting two free throws to take a 43-41 lead. Then, Santo hit two of two free throws to tie the game at 43. Shawnee then hit a three to take a 46-43 lead. Melleby struck back heroically for the Cougars to hit a crucial three despite the brace on his shoulder to tie the game. If the Cougars had won the game, Melleby would have been forever etched into East lore for this warrior-like three that tied the game at 46. Shawnee then scored four points in a row to take a 50-46 lead with 1:17 left. Gold followed up for the Cougars by converting one of two free throw attempts to bring the Cougars within three. The Cougars then got a defensive stop and, on the next possession, Santo gathered in an offensive rebound and put it back up to bring the Cougars to within one at 50-49 with about 55 seconds left. However, the Cougars could never get over the hump. Shawnee had a traveling violation with 42 seconds left to give the Cougars another opportunity. East failed to capitalize and got the ball back again with 22 seconds left after they had the possession arrow on a jump ball. However, the Cougars could not get it done as it took too long for a play to formulate as the Cougars threw an errant pass out of bounds with 6.3 seconds left. The Cougars fouled with 4.6 seconds left and Shawnee knocked down both free throws to extend the lead to 52-49. The Cougars then got the ball back and much confusion ensued as Shawnee appeared to call a time out while on defense, technically a technical foul. The foul was not called and the time was not reset completely to make up for the time lost so the Cougars had only about three seconds to work with. The Cougars struggled to get a good shot opportunity to tie the game and the final three-point attempt was airballed.
The Cougars' season ended with this devastating loss in John Valore's final game as a coach. The career of Chris Santo, the greatest player in the history of East basketball had also come to an end.
Key Stats
Santo-19 points, 13 rebounds, 5 steals
Schlessel-12 points, 4 steals
Gurkin-7 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks
