The homestanding Patriots upset the 2A Classic Sectional 1 favorite in a thrilling comeback. The Patriots trailed by as many as 10, and that came with 1:41 left in the game. But the following sequence brought them back: Three point made, missed front end for WC, rebounded by WC then a missed three for Central, foul on WC. ACS two free throws. Missed front end for WC. ACS made two free throws. It was a 9-0 run in just over a minute, and they capped it with a putback off a missed three for the win to knot it at 71 all to go to overtime. In the extra session, Central turned the ball over in a tie game with 30 seconds remaining. Mason Shirley, the standout sophomore, drilled a 15 footer for the win with 1.2 seconds remaining. It was the first win over Central for the Patriots in 11 years and their first win over them at home in 20.

 

The Patriots are for real and they are going to be a problem in the 4th Region. This is their best record through 16 games since the 1995-96 season. They're tough as nails. And for Central, things have derailed lately. They continue to struggle in the starts to their games and seem to lack some of the killer instinct they need. There's still plenty of time for their talent to coalesce, but this is not yet the team that they appeared to be entering the year, or heck, after the first five games.

Central was 5-12 from the free throw line for the game while ACS was 25-27. I felt the game really shifted when Central was up 7 late and took a quick corner three instead of pulling it out and running clock. Tough loss to swallow I’d imagine for Central considering the late lead. Look forward to seeing if they can bounce back with Hoptown and BG coming up soon.