6/21/2011: PTL Notebook — May hits game-winning FTs late
Posted on 21. Jun, 2011 by admin in Iowa Basketball
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa — With the game tied at 78-78 apiece, Eric May drew a foul with 2.4 seconds left and had an opportunity to redeem himself. The junior forward went to the free-throw line at that moment having only made two of his previous seven attempts.
May would come through in the clutch, knocking down both of his attempts, and with the ensuing possession resulting in a a turnover, his McCurry’s/Mike Gatens Real Estate squad eeked out an 80-78 win Tuesday night over Iowa City Ready Mix/Vinton Merchants. As a result, both teams are now 1-1 after two games.
In what was a pretty physical contest from start to finish, May shot 11-of-19 from the floor and finished with a game-high of 26 points to lead McCurry’s/Gatens.
“I just couldn’t figure them out tonight, but I just stuck with it,” May said about his two made free throws in the closing seconds. “Free throws have been the same shot my whole life. You got to just relax and just shoot them. My teammates had faith in me, so I had confidence in myself as well.”
Freshman guard Josh Oglesby had seven points on 3-of-8 shooting for McCurry’s/Gatens in the win. Senior forward Andrew Brommer was out again due to offseason knee surgery from an injury he sustained in the Big Ten Tournament against Michigan State last March. Brommer is scheduled to meet with a doctor next week and said the best-case scenario would be two weeks as far as returning during this summer would be concerned.
As for Ready Mix/Merchants, it lost the game, but had both Bryce Cartwright and Gabe Olaseni suit up Tuesday night. Cartwright, who was the top pick in the PTL draft, had team-highs of 20 points and seven assists. Olaseni’s stats consisted of just four points and four rebounds, but his presence was recognizable defensively.
He even found himself going head-to-head with May on a few occasions.
“Today, I was a step behind. I should have had my legs behind me,” Olaseni said. “Two times, I could have dunked today. I should have dunked on Eric May. I just wanted to make the basket, but I’ll make it next time. I told him.”
May responded by saying he’d be willing to challenge Olaseni anytime. He also has high hopes for the freshman forward next season.
“I think it’s going to take a couple of games for him to come out of his shell, but when he does, he’s a really good player,” May said. “He was a little tentative it seemed like, but I hope he wants to dunk on me.”
Coach’s Corner/Two Rivers Bank & Trust 97, Monica’s/L.L. Pelling Company 94
In the lone battle of unbeaten teams Tuesday, it was Corner/Rivers that pulled away with a 97-94 win over Monica’s/Pelling. Despite losing, sophomore guard Devyn Marble had another impressive game with 27 points on 11-of-22 shooting. This effort comes after a 32-point showing last weekend.
Former Iowa player Duez Henderson also reached double-figures scoring with 20 points in the losing effort, and senior forward Devon Archie finished with six points and 11 rebounds for Monica’s/Pelling.
As for Corner/Rivers, it was led by UNI’s Anthony James, who had a game-high 32 points. Incoming junior Anthony Hubbard came up one rebound shy of a second consecutive double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
After the game, Marble talked about going head-to-head with his new Hawkeye teammate and made mention of his unselfishness with the ball.
“He can score whenever he wants to, but he wants to get his teammates involved, and that’s what I really like about him,” Marble said.
Falbo Bros Pizza/Culver’s of Coralville 96, Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors 89
After not having either Matt Gatens or Melsahn Basabe available two evenings ago, both were in the lineup for Falbo/Culver’s Tuesday night and helped guide it to a 96-89 victory over Jill Armstrong. The win puts Falbo/Culver’s at 1-1, while Jill Armstrong fell to 0-2 and is the lone winless team after one week of action.
The duo of Gatens and Basabe accounted for exactly half of the points for Falbo/Culver’s. Gatens led the way with 26 points, and also had six rebounds and five assists. Meanwhile, Basabe had a performance that he even admitted was less than stellar shooting 7-of-24 from the floor, but he did finish with 22 points on the night, as well as nine rebounds.
Basabe, who was cut two days earlier by the USA U-19 squad, sees himself as more of a target for opposing teams, not just in the Prime Time League, but also when he suits up in a Hawkeye uniform later in the fall.
“That’s what comes with being a good player,” Basabe said. “I want to be the best player I can be. The more respect you have and the more success you gain, the more attention you’re going to get on the court. I have to adjust to it, and all the best players do.
“There’s no excuse. I just got to figure out how to get it done.”
Falbo/Culver’s also got a 12-point, 6-rebound performance from freshman forward Aaron White in its win. Meanwhile, Jill Armstrong was led in scoring by former UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh’s 23 points. Sophomore forward Zach McCabe had 12 points and seven rebounds Tuesday night after playing a very limited role in Jill Armstrong’s PTL opener last weekend.
The Prime Time League resumes from the North Liberty Community Center on June 26, with two games taking place at 3 p.m. and one at 4:30 p.m.
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