SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.V.-Elijah Allen (Dover, Del./Dover) hit a jumper in the corner as time expired to lift West Chester (18-7, 13-6) to an improbable comeback victory over Shepherd (13-12, 10-9) on Wednesday night by a 64-63 final.
West Chester never led in the second half until the final second of regulation and Shepherd had back-to-back chances in the final 15 seconds to put the game away at the free throw line but West Chester made the most of the Rams final miss at the line with 5.3 seconds to play, racing the length of the floor to set Allen up for the game-winning jumper.
In the first meeting against Shepherd, it was Walker who hit the game-winning buzzer beater, off an assist from Allen following a missed Shepherd free throw. This time, with Walker on the bench, having fouled out earlier in the second half, Allen took his turn to be the hero, hitting his only field-goal of the contest with a jumper from the far corner, just inside the three-point line, which lifted the Golden Rams to the thrilling comeback victory.
Kyle McGee (Jersey City, N.J./St. Mary's of the Assumption) led the Golden Rams in scoring with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, set up the comeback with a pair of clutch three-pointers with under two minutes to play in regulation, bringing West Chester back to within one twice, including the final 63-62 score, which set up Allen to be the hero. McGee was one of three Golden Rams in double figures, as
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) finished with 12 while freshman guard
Anthony Purnell Jr. (Chester, Pa./Kiski Prep) added 11 in the victory.
For Shepherd, Phillip Jordan posted a game-high 21 points on 8-of-19 shooting while Aiden Hughley, finished with 14 on 5-of-8 shooting in the setback.
West Chester ended the game shooting 44.0 % (22-of-50) from the field and 31.8 % (7-of-22) from three-point range while also going 13-of-19 (68.4 %) from the line. Shepherd, once again doomed by poor shooting across the board, shot just 57.1 % (12-of-21) from the line and 37.5 % (21-of-56) from the field while also shooting 24.3 % (9-of-37).
The first half was a back-and-forth affair throughout, with neither side holding a lead larger than five points and the game going to the half locked at 29-29. West Chester took its five-point lead early, jumping out to a 9-4 advantage after a make by McGee before Shepherd outscored West Chester 22-14 over 10 minutes to erase the deficit and take a 26-23 lead late in the first half.
The Golden Rams and Rams traded makes through the balance of the first half, with West Chester outscoring Shepherd 6-3 down the stretch after a pair of made threes by
Robert Smith (Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and
Michael McClain (Cheltenham, Pa./Cheltenham) to send the game to the half tied at 29-29.
Early in the second half, Shepherd retook the lead quickly and took a 42-38 lead with just under 14 minutes to play after the 18th points of the game by Phillip Jordan. The game remained close as the second half continued, with Shepherd holding on to a slim 52-49 lead with under eight minutes to play in regulation.
As the game wound under five minutes to play, West Chester pulled back within a pair multiple times, but Shepherd was able to keep its guests at arms reach, maintaining a four-point lead with 4:30 to play in regulation before Aidan Hughley knocked down a pair of free throws with 4:10 to play to extend the lead out to 58-52. McGee countered quickly with an important jumper to pull back within four, but Hughley and Shepherd had an answer once again, moving the lead back to six (60-54) with 3:30 to play in regulation.
In need of a run and trailing by four with under two minutes to play, McGee hit a huge three with 1:42 to play, bringing the Golden Rams back to within one (60-59), leading to a quick timeout as the game approached its final 90 seconds. Shepherd countered with a big three of its own with 1:15 to play in regulation, taking a four-point lead as the game approached its final minute. McGee had an answer once again, hitting yet another three to increase his total for the night to 20 points and pull West Chester back to within a point once more as the clock ticked under one minute to play.
Shepherd appeared as if it may put the game away, making a pair of trips to the line with under 15 seconds to play but the Rams were unable to hit the front end of either of their 1-and-1 opportunities, thus, leaving the door open for Allen and West Chester to earn a thrilling fashion with their third buzzer-beating victory of the season.
West Chester ended the game with a 38-34 lead in rebounding once again, improving to 15-2 in games in which it wins the rebounding battle. Purnell Jr., led all players off the bench in scoring, finishing with a game-high 11 as the Golden Rams ended the game with a 14-11 lead in points off the bench in the comeback victory.
Up Next:
West Chester returns to action on Saturday afternoon vs Lock Haven beginning at 3 p.m.
