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CBC Champs: London puts together insane comeback to take down Jonathan Alder

By Jake Spegal, 02/15/19, 10:30PM EST

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Super sophomore Trey Woodyard goes off for 25 points to lead the Red Raiders

LONDON, Ohio -- Trailing 36-22 with 3:40 left in the third quarter, London (19-2) looked to be in an extremely tough spot against a Jonathan Alder (16-5) team that does not make many mistakes when they have a team by the throat.

Coming all the way back to tie the game at 44 late, they could feel a Central Buckeye Conference championship after a technical foul from Alder junior Logan Stevens. After super sophomore Trey Woodyard nailed one of the two for the Red Raiders, lone senior Jake Andrich was fouled off the inbounds.

With Andrich missing both shots, the Pioneers had one last shot as they trailed 45-44.

After a miss on a contested layup from junior Jackie Santa-Emma, Alder lost the ball out of bounds with ten seconds to go. Dribbling the clock out thanks to a couple of poor reads from the Pioneer defense, London did the unthinkable, completing a 16 point comeback and taking down Alder 45-44 to win their first CBC championship.

Taking a 26-18 lead into the half, Alder showed no signs of slowing down to begin the third. After two big three-pointers from senior Jake Koenig, he connected on two free throws to extend their lead to 34-21.

Despite being outplayed for the majority of the first three quarters, London used a quick run at the end of the third to remain in the game. Sophomore Jainaz Cameron connected on his first field goal of the game, and and-one, followed by a tough lay in to trim the lead to 38-29 after three.

London began to turn up the pressure in the fourth. Knowing that they could not let Alder sit around and stall the game out, the Red Raiders used a plethora of half court traps to make the Pioneer guards uncomfortable late.

Doing what he does best, Woodyard scored the next six points to ignite the crowd and swing all of the momentum in favor of the Red Raiders. Following an acrobatic and-one finish, he knocked down a huge three and cut the lead to 38-35 with 4:57 to go.

Santa-Emma came up with a huge steal and coast to coast take to push the Pioneer lead to 40-35, but the momentum of the game shifted completely after.

After Cameron was fouled by Alder big man Daniel Heinig and trimmed the deficit to 40-37, Woodyard was fouled by Heinig on the next possession, fouling him out for the remainder of the contest. With clear frustration at the calls, he picked up a technical for his reaction to the second. 

Knocking down all four of his shots at the line, the cold-blooded Woodyard gave London their first lead since early in the first, ahead 41-40 with 1:57 to go.

Striking yet another blow to London, Santa-Emma jumped the lane and stole a pass on the next possession, leading to an and-one on the other end. Connecting on the free throw to complete the three-point play, the Pioneers once again reclaimed the lead, 43-41 with 1:42 left.

Despite going scoreless for the first 31 minutes of the game, London junior Isaiah Hatem hit the biggest shot of his career on the next play.

With Andrich driving baseline, he kicked it to Hatem in the weakside corner where stepped into a three and knocked it down, giving London a 44-43 lead with 32.8 seconds left on the clock.

Being fouled on the drive, Alder sophomore Jackson Izzard had a chance to tie it, win it, or lose it with 10 seconds remaining. After making the first and missing the second, the Pioneers grabbed the rebound but were issued a technical foul, completely changing the finish of the game and allowing London to go home victorious.

Leading London with 25 points in yet another great outing, Woodyard brought back the first of what could be several CBC titles to his community tonight. Scoring the basketball from all three levels, he showed great potential as a wing prospect tonight. He stands at 6-foot-5, is long, and can create his own shot, all ideal traits of a collegiate wing.

With no other players in double figures, Cameron also scored eight points and Andrich chipped in with five. Freshman Isaiah Jones played a key role off of the bench by scoring four points and grabbing five boards, all in the first half. Scoring just three points (the most important three of the night,) Hatem rounded out the scoring for the Red Raiders.

Going for 19 points, Santa-Emma led Alder with another great outing as the lead guard. With the ability to knock down shots, get past guys, and find teammates, Jackie has the Pioneers in good hands heading into tournament time despite a tough loss tonight.

Koenig also scored 10 points, eight of which came in a span of two minutes. Henry Walker also chipped in with nine points, all in the first half, and Izzard scored four points for Alder.

In the midst of a tough stretch, they will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday as they host a tough Bishop Watterson team.

After winning their first ever Central Buckeye Conference title, London will look to complete the Madison County sweep tomorrow. Taking down West Jefferson and Jonathan Alder already this week, they host Madison Plains tomorrow.

 

 

 

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