By Paul Gotham
ROCHESTER, NY – This one was much different.
Two weeks after returning home with tails between their legs, the Monroe Community College men’s basketball team answered. In doing so, the Tribunes took control of their destiny.
Kenny Johnson (Philadelphia, PA/Abington Friends) paced a balanced attack as the Monroe Community College Tribunes (23-3/10-1) defeated the Erie Community College Kats (19-5/10-2), 85-70 in WNYAC action on George Monagan Court, Saturday night.
Johnson scored nine points before the break as MCC took a six-point advantage into the locker room.
Johnson broke a 27-27 tie when he grabbed a rebound off the floor and finished in traffic. The 6-3 guard followed with a free throw for a traditional three-point play, and the Tribs went on to outscore the Kats 14-8 in the final five minutes of the stanza.
“Fabulous,” commented Monroe head coach Jerry Burns when asked about his sophomore point guard. “He played with such heart. He played really hard.”
After getting tangled up in the opposing team’s bench area while chasing a loose ball out-of-bounds, Johnson scored two more when Tashawn Desir (Brooklyn, NY/Nia Prep) found him ahead of the pack for a layup.
Ta-Quan Zimmerman (Waterbury,CT/Waterbury) stretched the lead to five when the Monroe press created one of 11 Erie first-half turnovers, and the 6-2 guard converted a rebound and putback.
Johnson gave the Black and Gold its largest lead of the first stanza at 41-33 when he drove the lane and drew contact for a pair of charity tosses.
Devon Elliott (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Laughlin) scored at the rim before the buzzer for the 41-35 halftime score.
The teams battled through six ties and four lead changes in the first 20 minutes.
Johnson wasted little time getting the offense going in the second half hitting a catch-and-shoot three for a 44-35 lead.
“Kenny brings so much energy,” Burns continued. “He made some big shots, but he is upbeat and played really smart tonight.”
Zimmerman gave Monroe its first double-digit lead of the game just inside the 12-minute of the second half. The sophomore guard went airborne to snare an offensive rebound and finished in mid-air off the glass for a 58-48 lead.
“It was very important,” Zimmerman said of the win. “They got us once. Big win for us because if we win out, we get to host the Regional tournament.”
After Greg Williams (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) nailed a three, Reuben Berry (Bronx, NY/Danbury) put an exclamation point on the win with a monster tomahawk jam that brought the partisan crowd to its feet.
Monroe outscored Erie 44-35 after break.
From the opening tip, this game was decidedly different than the affair played two weeks ago in Buffalo when Erie won by 11. Monroe handled ECC’s full-court press, Saturday, and the Kats never got into an offensive rhythm. Erie outrebounded Monroe, 67-37 on its home court. In Monroe’s barn, the battle of the boards evened out at 48-48.
“I was more concerned with breaking their press, spreading them out, and making shots,”Burns explained. “Up at Erie we just didn’t make shots. I was just more concerned making shots, and we had a lot of good looks. That led to less rebounding issues because the ball is going into the basket and we can set our defense. Whereas up there we missed a lot of easy shots. They would get the rebound, and we were always in transition. We could never match up well. That didn’t occur tonight because we got the easy shot and knocked it down.”
The Tribunes had 18 assists on 28 field goals. Desir led the way with five assists. Johnson added four dimes.
Monroe caused 18 Erie turnovers while the Kats had just eight assists.
Erie took an early lead when Elliott scored on a two-on-one situation when Keron Briggs (Buffalo, NY/Sweet Home) fed him for the bucket.
The Kats grabbed their largest lead of the first stanza at 13-10 when Darale Young (Buffalo, NY/Middle College) drove from the top of the arc for a basket. Young repeated his effort and ECC held a 17-14 edge.
The Tribs took over from there.
Jahvari Josiah (Brooklyn, NY/ Beach Channel) grabbed a loose ball and turned it into a layup. Malcom McNair (Jacksonville, FL/Samuel L. Wolfson) drained a three. The pair combined when McNair drove baseline and found Josiah slashing down the lane for a basket in traffic.
Johnson finished with 15 on four-of-six shooting from the floor including two-of-two behind the arc and five-of-five at the free throw line. The sophomore guard added two steals and three rebounds.
Zimmerman and Josiah led the Tribs with 16 each. Zimmerman had a team-high nine rebounds.
Berry had six points and seven blocks.
Elliott had a game-high 24 for the Kats.
With the win Monroe takes control of its destiny. The Tribunes have three remaining regular season games. On the line is a chance to host the Region III tournament.
“We’ve been working hard,” Zimmerman said. “Just take care of these last three games and host that tournament.”
Monroe hosts Jamestown CC Tuesday. Tip time is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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