Missed foul shoots doom Findlay Prep in Dick’s Nationals
It’s not always simple to find the reason for the outcome of a basketball game, but pinpointing the reason for Findlay Prep’s loss on Friday was simple.
Missed free throws.
The Pilots were 14-for-35 from the free-throw line, including two misses with 5.8 seconds left that could have given the team the lead in a 54-52 loss to La Lumiere (Indiana) in semifinals of the Dick’s High School Nationals Tournament at Christ the King High in New York.
“We beat them statistically in every category except free throws,” Findlay Prep coach Paul Washington said. “Even at the end, we had a kid step up for two shots, this is our chance to win the game. So it comes down to fundamentals.”
La Lumiere (28-1) plays Montverde Academy (Florida) in the final at 9 a.m. Saturday. The Lakers had missed only two free throws until the final minute, when they missed the front end of three one-and-one opportunities to help the Pilots (34-4) rally.
After the third failed one-and-one, Findlay Prep’s Justin Roberts was fouled and made both shots to make the score 53-52 with 19.1 seconds to go.
La Lumiere advanced the ball against the Pilots’ press, and Jordan Poole made an ill-advised cross-court pass. Roberts got a hand on the pass, and Findlay Prep took control. Tony Goodwin, who had just come into the game, was fouled with 5.8 seconds to play.
He missed both foul shots, and La Lumiere’s Grant Beucler made 1 of 2 free shots with 4.3 seconds for the final margin.
Findlay Prep led 25-20 at halftime, but the Lakers opened the third quarter with a 15-0 run and led by as many as 15 points in the second half.
“They did a good job of countering our defense,” Washington said. “You’ve got to tip your hat to them. They’re one of the top teams in the country for a reason.”
P.J. Washington, the coach’s son, had 13 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots. But the Kentucky-bound forward looked tired after playing in the McDonald’s All American game Wednesday in Chicago before heading to New York for Thursday’s quarterfinals.
P.J. Washington was 5-for-13 from the field and 3-for-14 from the line. He was 2-for-10 from the field in the first three quarters.
“I can’t say the last time P.J. went 3-for-14 from the free-throw line,” Paul Washington said. “A lot of travel, playing in the McDonald’s game caught up to him. It’s hard to make free throws when you don’t have legs.”
Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4587. Follow @DamonSeiters on Twitter.
