WEST PALM BEACH – With the score tied at 53-all and seconds ticking down, guard Alejandro Ralat dribbled the ball down the court.
Stalling at that moment, he was determined to make the last shot for his team, the St. Andrew’s Scots.
Ralat dribbled right down towards the baseline, crossed his opponent to the left, and soared up for a layup attempt with 3 seconds left.
But it rimmed out.
Four quarters of basketball wasn’t enough to determine the winner of a Class 5A regional quarterfinal between two Palm Beach County teams – the Cardinal Newman Crusaders and the St. Andrew’s Scots.
After a back-and forth-affair that needed one overtime period, the Scots were able to advance to the next round with a 63-59 victory in front of a hostile home crowd.
“It’s one game at a time and we survived, and now we move on to the next round,” said St. Andrew’s head coach John O’Connell.
It didn’t always look like it was headed to overtime though.
Cardinal Newman held an eight-point lead, 49-41, with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Led by Ralat’s six points in the quarter, the Scots went on a 6-0 run to pull within two.
Both teams fought back and forth after that, with the Scots converting six straight free throws to tie the game up at 53-53 with less than a minute to go.
Both teams had chances to win the game in regulation, but neither were able to convert.
St Andrew’s started overtime on a 6-2 run, leading 59-55.
With 15 seconds left and still clinging to a 59-57 lead, the Scots came up with an inbounds play, looking to free up a man for an easy basket. That basket was easier than expected as a Newman defender slipped while chasing his man, leaving the Scots wide open under the basket that put them ahead by four.
After a Crusaders basket on the other end, St. Andrews was able to convert on two clutch free throws to secure a 63-59 victory.
“It means a lot,” said Ralat on how forcing and later winning in overtime helps the team’s confidence going forward. “…We can come back from anything if we keep fighting and stay (together) as a team and stay positive.”
Ralat led both teams with a game-high 22 points and dished out four assists. He also finished 6-of-7 on the charity stripe.
“He’s tough to guard,” said O’Connell on what was special about his senior tonight. “He’s very quick, (and) has great ball handling skills.” “
“
Josh Minott finished with 18 points and went 7-of-8 on his free throws.
Yussif Basa-Ama had a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 17 boards. He also dished out five assists and went 4-of-5 on his free throws.
Emmanuel Onuama led Cardinal Newman with 16 points. Devin Hines added 14 points, while Chris Kent and Castra Gedeon added 10 apiece.
St. Andrews converted 81 percent (17-of-21) of its, free throws while Cardinal Newman only converted 43 percent (10-of-23).
St. Andrew’s (24-4) will be back at home Tuesday night for its 5A regional semifinal against undefeated Oxbridge Academy (24-0). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
