McHENRY — The last time Allegany College and Garrett College met, the Trojans (11-15, 9-8 NJCAA Region 20) won a 121-115 triple-overtime thriller in Cumberland.
On Wednesday, the Lakers (18-8, 11-6 Region 20) got revenge on their home floor, winning a 77-76 overtime battle.
“Coach (Tommie) Reams and I were talking after the game, we’ve had so many of these overtime games, these close ones,” Garrett head coach Matt McCullough said. “Just seems like Garrett-Allegany always comes down to the wire. A lot of times finds it way into overtime, just always good games.”
After Garrett led 31-27 at halftime, the second half was a back-and-forth game and was within one score for nearly the entire half.
Neither team led by more than five points in the half which featured nine ties and three lead changes.
“Really tough game, especially coming off the Montgomery game on Saturday,” Reams said. “This is back-to-back games we’ve lost on buckets with less than 10 seconds of the game.”
With exactly 60 seconds remaining, Lou Couch set up Justin Turner for a step back 3-pointer to put Allegany in front 64-60.
Gavin Jackson answered with two triples including a 3-pointer in the left corner with 11.6 to play.
He buried a contested fadeaway and drew a foul, completing the four-point play to force overtime tied at 67.
In the last meeting, Jackson hit a 3-pointer off a steal at the buzzer to force triple overtime.
Jackson finished with a game-high 23 points, adding four assists and two steals.
“He’s practiced so many shots, spent so many hours in the gym,” McCullough said. “Those type of games deserve that every once in a while. Just so happens he was able to knock down that shot.”
Neither team led by more than two points in overtime, which came down to the final second.
Nasir Coleman set up K’Shawn Scott, who scored 10 points and had a pair of steals, for a layup that evened the score at 76 for the Lakers with 15 seconds left.
Garrett came up with a steal on the next possession with exactly one second on the clock, sending Kam Heathington to the line.
He made the first shot and intentionally missed the second before Carmelo Myles deflected the ensuing inbound to end the game.
“It really boils down to the concept that I love so much about basketball which is you’re gonna lose or win games a lot more based on what you do versus what the opponent does to you,” Reams said. “Tonight, we made too many mental errors, we failed to do some things in crucial moments.”
Heathington finished with 15 points shooting 8 of 12 at the line.
The Trojans opened the night on a 14-4 run led by Alex Byrd’s seven points.
Byrd finished with a team-high 19 points, adding 10 rebounds and two blocks. Turner hit three triples and scored 11 points while Couch added 10 points.
The Lakers answered with a 17-4 run over the next five minutes and took a 21-18 lead with just over 10 minutes before halftime.
“I didn’t think we started out flat, they hit some shots,” McCullough said. “We were able to make an adjustment and switch to a zone that was able to give us a little bit of time to gather ourselves.”
In the final 10 minutes, Allegany struggled to find the net, but the Trojan defense kept them within striking distance.
After the 14-4 run, the Trojans shot 6 of 24 including 1 of 11 from deep to end the half, but the Lakers only outscored them 10-9.
Jaylen Brown scored 18 points with eight assists and five rebounds for ACM while Gabe Jones finished with 10 points and a steal.
Since the 2019 season, Allegany and Garrett have met 10 times.
Three games have gone to overtime and seven were decided by six points or less.
“I think it’s that rivalry, we’re close in proximity but also Coach McCullough and I pride ourselves a lot on being prepared,” Reams said. “I think coming from the same kind of coaching tree, we understand how to prepare and take away strengths, how to try and get the most out of our guys.”
Before the game, Scott, Jackson, Heathington, Stephen Robinson, Antonio Adams, Marqui Olds and Nasir Coleman were recognized for sophomore night.
“They’ve been a great group, they’ve worked extremely hard,” McCullough said. “They’ve been a group that bought in and worked extremely hard and I’m happy for them.”
The Trojans play Prince George’s on Thursday before hosting Harcum (18-5) on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The Lakers host CCBC Dundalk on Saturday also at 3 p.m.