COLUMBIA -- Haaji Michael capped an explosive fourth quarter with the go-ahead driving layup with 1:05 remaining, and the host Crimson Tide edged Lebanon Catholic 64-60 Monday night in a high-intensity L-L Section 4 contest at Columbia High School.
The victory keeps Matt Johns' Crimson Tide (8-3, 5-1) tied atop the Section 4 standings with Lancaster Mennonite, with Lancaster Catholic a half-game back, and now Scott Clentimack's Beavers (8-2, 3-2) 1.5 games behind.
Michael's sixth field goal of the fourth quarter proved to be the final salvo in a back-and-forth contest. The senior guard scored 12 of his 14 points in the frame.
Mikey Rider (12 points) added two free throws with 20 seconds left to help Columbia seal the deal. Marqel Wansley's 15 points topped the balanced Tide, with eight points each from Ed Moore and Derek Sheckard.
Alex Frattaroli scored 20 for Lebanon Catholic, and John Groh added 14.
After trailing most of the first half, the Beavers opened the second half on a 14-2 run to grab its largest lead, 44-36, but then went nearly six minutes without a point.
Columbia battled back in front, and it was back-and-forth down the stretch.
PIVOTAL SEQUENCE
A 6-0 spurt, with Wansley and Michael driving to the dish, had Columbia in front 58-53 with 3:45 remaining.
The Beavers answered with a 5-0 run, with two buckets by Frattaroli and a free throw by Groh that tied it, 58-58, with 2:04 remaining.
It was still tied, 60-60, when Michael saw an opening and flashed to the bucket for another clean layup.
Frattaroli missed a chance to tie, Wansley grabbed the rebound, and Rider was eventually fouled with 20 ticks left. He made both ends of his one-and-one to make it a two-possession game.
STAT FRENZY
Through three quarters, Michael was 1-for-4 with two points. In the fourth, he was 6-for-6 with 12 points. ... Rider scored 10 of his 12 points in the first half, with Moore scoring all eight of his in the first half. That included a steal and breakaway dunk midway through the first quarter. ... Moore also blocked five shots and pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. ... Wansley posted six assists, and Jared Helton added four. ... Sheckard provided big sparks off the bench on both ends of the floor. He scored six points in the first quarter. ... Columbia shot 52 percent (26-for-50) from the field and 90.9 percent (10-for-11) from the free-throw line. The Tide also owned a 33-29 advantage on the glass, holding the Beavers without a single rebound in the fourth quarter (though the teams were a combined 15-for-20 in the stanza, so there weren't many opportunities). ...
Frattaroli finished 10-for-16 from the floor and scored at least four points in each quarter. The senior is nearing 1,000 points for his career. ... Groh was 6-for-8 from the floor and pulled down five rebounds, one fewer than teammate Matt Kern, who led the Beavers in caroms. ... Anthony Pletz, guarded admirably by Rider, finished with nine points, 10 below his average. He did add five rebounds and a game-high seven assists. ... Jaylan Colon added five assists and three steals for Catholic, with Frattaroli also contributing five assists. The slick-passing Beavers accrued 20 assists on 25 field goals (25-for-58 from the floor). ... Lebanon Catholic didn't do itself any favors at the stripe, finishing 5-for-12.
COACHES' QUOTES
Johns on his team answering Lebanon Catholic's 14-2 run: "I wish I could say there were some genius X's and O's, but what we really talked about was manning up, staying in front of our men, sticking to the game plan and, most importantly, boxing out on defense. They're bigger than they look on film, and they really crash the boards well."
Johns on Michael and Wansley finding lanes in the fourth: "They both handle the ball, both are really crafty. Neither is very big, but both do a good job getting to the rim, and they take contact. The play Haaji made [for the go-ahead bucket] was just a great read. He kind of felt it. I've seen him do it in practice. It was a great read, and I'm glad he felt he was empowered enough to make a play. I don't want him feeling like he's stuck in a box."
Clentimack on the two differences: "We were up six in the third quarter. I'm pretty sure [Johns] didn't have a starter in the game, and they cut our lead to two by the end of the quarter. We should have put them away at that point. Then in the fourth quarter, Haaji took over the game. [If] we get a couple stops on him, it's a different game. But he was feeling it. He knew he was in charge and could do whatever he wanted."
Clentimack on dealing with the tough loss: "I think this is harder than getting blown out. If you get blown out, you didn't play your best. But when you played hard and feel you played pretty well, and you come up on the short end, it's a little tougher for the kids to swallow. It's a little tougher for me to swallow, too."