NEWARK, CA - Just as it fought back from a 2-7 start to its season, Newark Memorial fought back from a 12-point first-half deficit and a nine-point fourth quarter margin but it wasn’t enough as Modesto Christian’s Mason Washington’s corner 3-pointer with 25 seconds left gave the Crusaders a 56-55 Open Division regional quarterfinal road win.
“We ran that set like 50 times,” Modesto Christian co-head coach Richard Midgley said on playing against the Newark Memorial stingy zone defense played second half. “We kept getting the open look in the corner, just hoping someone could knock it down. He (Washington) got open and hit it.”
The Cougars, who earlier went on a 12-0 run to take a 52-49 lead with over two minutes left, had a chance to reclaim the lead when sparkplug Mike Pickney was fouled on a 25-foot 3-pointer with 13 seconds left.
Pickney, though, made only the final of his three foul shot attempts and, after a Modesto Christian free throw miss, Joey Frenchwood’s game-winning attempt inside the foul line was blocked by Kevin Hamlet and Christian Ellis with less than two seconds left.
Newark Memorial (23-8) finished 13-of-22 from the free throw line.
Washington finished with a game-high 20 points for Modesto Christian (24-8), including 12 in the first half when the Crusaders built a 28-21 halftime lead.
Hamlet added 12 points and seven rebounds for a Crusaders team that will play at Bishop O’Dowd in a Tuesday NorCal semifinal. Modesto Christian ended O’Dowd’s season in the Open quarterfinals a year ago, 57-42, but suffered a 70-52 loss in Oakland last month.
As for three-time NCS Division II champion Newark Memorial, it marks the second straight year the Cougars season finishes in the CIF Open Division quarterfinals and the end of a senior class that might be the best in Newark Memorial history.
“As silly as we are, we have aspirations of doing great things all the time and it came up short tonight”, said Newark Memorial coach Craig Ashmore, “but not because of effort and not because of guys sharing the ball and playing.”
The Cougars' Pickney finished with 19 points, including 13 in the second half, and Frenchwood scored 13.
