On this past Saturday night, the Robert F. Munroe Bobcats won the 2A District-1 championship. They took on John Paul II at home, as they hosted the district tournament.
The first quarter began with both teams trying to get a feel for one another. The quarter ended with Munroe leading 13-9.
The second quarter saw even more scoring from both teams, as they both made their fair share of three pointers in the quarter. Munroe; however, was able to maintain a slight lead and go into halftime up 30-27.
With just under three minutes left in the third quarter, John Paul II jumped out to a four point lead. Within seconds, Munroe fought back and tied the game up 39-39, with the help of a big three-pointer by Karlton Knight. In a back and forth matchup, by the time the third quarter ended, Munroe found themselves trailing again 40-44.
The fourth quarter saw excitement from the start. Within a few seconds of the quarter starting, Munroe made a couple buckets and tied the game up 44-44. The fourth continued to be a dog fight between the two teams. With 1:20 left on the clock, Munroe called a timeout to strategize as they trailed 50-52.
With under a minute left in the fourth, Alashawn Hagan got a steal and a layup that put Munroe up 54-52. Then there was a defensive breakdown by Munroe which allowed John Paull II to score and tie the game up at 54, leaving only one second on the clock in regulation.
As the game went into overtime, both teams played their hearts out, and with 0:37 left on the clock in overtime, Munroe holding a 57-56 lead, caused John Paul to turn the ball over. On the very next possession, Munroe turned the ball back over and committed a foul, sending John Paul II to the line for two free-throws with 0:22 left on the clock.
John Paul II made one of the two free-throws and tied the game back up 57-57, in an attempt to send the game into double overtime; however, another crucial late basket by Alashawn Hagan with just a few seconds left in the game put Munroe up 59-57. A last second half-court shot was unsuccessful by John Paul II and Munroe captured the Class 2A District-1 championship in front of the home crowd.
Chris Daniels – Gadsden County News Service
