OMAHA - In a game that likely decided the Great 8 Conference regular-season champion, the UTCMocs
(28598) beat the Omaha Racers 114-113
(28952) on Philip Leach's
(12985618) off-balance jumper as time expired.
It was the Racers' third straight loss in the rivalry, all on last-second shots. Janis Žaltinovskis
(6002482) hit a last-second shot 99-97 win earlier this season; Jud Hopper
(11605497) did the deed in last season's game, a 101-99 win for the Mocs.
In all three games, the Racers had hit apparent game-winning or game-tying shots. This day, the home team wasted three miracles: Ofir Shakrooka's
(7768145) tough three-point shot to send the game to overtime, and apparent game-winners by Almir Zelezinger
(5251960) and newly-minted starter Steve Rice
(6627161) that were wasted when the team failed to get a defensive stop.
It was one of the best-played games of the season; the average player rating was 7.6, and there were few fouls. And the last minute of the game saw five lead changes.
Bob Booth
(9797870) snagged an alley-oop pass from Ramon Miner
(9208334) with 59 seconds to play, giving the Racers their first lead of the overtime at 109-108.
Lucas Serrambi
(2738991) scored for UTCMocs to give them a 110-109 lead.
After the teams traded missed shots, Zelezinger scored to put Omaha back ahead by 1.
Stanislaw Wilansek
(3209770) answered with an inside shot to make it 112-111, Mocs, with 13 seconds to play.
After ten seconds of intense halfcourt defense, big man Hidacio "Rino 911" Charino
(9797857) made a brilliant pass to a wide-open Steve Rice. Rice threw down a two-handed slam for what looked like a 113-112 victory, the inside track to first place, and a big monkey off the Racers' backs.
But the gods had other plans.
With three seconds left, the Mocs took timeout to get the ball at halfcourt. Mario Chacon
(6306380) -- not the team's best passer -- inbounded the ball to Leach, whose desperate off-balance baseline shot silently fell through the nylon.
A capacity crowd of 8,202 -- plus a few hundred who'd been turned away, and caught the game from nearby sports bars -- could only watch in stunned silence as the Mocs celebrated their continued torment of their division rivals.
After the game, Racers fans were angry, and looking to point blame. Some reporters observed that Leach's shot, and all the other Mocs baskets that kept the game close late, came on inside shots. Big men Booth and Rice took umbrage to media questions about their defensive assignments, and pointed to their heroic efforts in the frontcourt. Ramon Miner, visibly upset, remained in the locker room. Almir Zelezinger skipped the press conference to smoke. Ofir Shakrooka said "אני מרגיש שיש לנו סביבה צוות חיובית" which nobody understood.
The loss left some fans lamenting the Racers' reputation as a heartbreak team -- and others questioning the team's heart.
Last edited by Jerry Midwest at 6/9/2010 6:22:12 PM