By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — This wasn’t what Matt McCormick had in mind when he envisioned Wednesday night’s non-league matchup. With Fidel Brock retuning to the lineup for the first time in six games, McCormick hoped to ease the backcourt player into the lineup.
Then starting point guard De’Vante Mateo picked up his fifth foul of the game. So there he was with 1:57 remaining and his team clinging to what was a 14-point advantage and now a two-point edge. McCormick turned to Brock on the bench and sent the senior into the game.
“We were trying to definitely limit his minutes,” McCormick said of Brock. “I really didn’t want to have to play him at all tonight, but we had to. He’s always composed. He always plays good defense. But when De’Vante goes out, it’s time for a little caution.”
Monroe’s Tyquil Glasgow scored 12 points on the night including the game winner with 12.9 seconds remaining as the Redjackets edged the Eastridge Lancers, 60-58.
“I had to end the game for my team,” Glasgow said. “Everybody had foul trouble. I had four (fouls). I had to make a play for my team.”
With the clock running down, the 6-foot-3 forward caught the ball along the right wing and finished a runner off the glass.
Ty Glasgow gives @JMHSRedjackets a 60-58 edge with 12.9 to go pic.twitter.com/1rI3egIKR6
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 24, 2019
“I was like give me the ball,” he stated. “Let me do the rest, and I did it.”
That Eastridge had drawn four offensive charges already on the night crossed McCormick’s mind.
“He kinda gave me the “Ty look” and said let me take ’em,” McCormick explained. “I said ‘All right.’ It was going through my mind (a charge being called).”
The win was the third straight for Monroe (10-4) and fourth in the last five games. Their only setback during that stretch was a loss at undefeated East (No. 1 PS Large Schools’ Poll).
“To get this here is a big win for us,” McCormick said. “That was the message (in the locker room after the game), to definitely build on this. This is a four-game stretch right now where we have a lot of tough games.”
Mateo scored 12 of his game-high 17 points in the first half. The senior’s pull-up three on the break early in the third quarter gave Monroe a 44-32 advantage. Next trip down the floor, Glasgow converted a pair of free throws for a 14-point lead. The Redjackets still had that margin at 48-34 after a Glasgow steal and flush.
But the pair went to the bench minutes later both with four fouls apiece. Mateo (23.5 points per game) picking up his fourth infraction with 2:39 to go in the third. Glasgow (19.9 ppg) followed :15 later. The duo didn’t return until the 4:40 mark of the fourth quarter.
Eastridge took advantage.
Jalen Rose Hannah converted an and-one. Terrence Reid got ahead of the defense for a lay in, and Hannah drove the lane for a bucket to cut the margin to seven at 48-41 heading to the fourth quarter.
Jalen Rose Hannah gets the hurt and harm. 2:20 remaining in 3rd @JMHSRedjackets 48 @EastridgeHoops 37 pic.twitter.com/cMrjdUhxRs
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 24, 2019
Hannah converted a two-on-one break with Tony Arnold to make it a one-possession game at 50-47 with little more than five minutes remaining.
Arnold tied the score with :41 seconds remaining when the junior guard hit a baseline jumper . The scoreboard read 58-all.
“We did a good job of weathering the storm there,” McCormick said. “The guys played very composed, kinda bleeding the clock there a little bit. These guys (Eastridge) can score in buckets pretty quick.”
Monroe held Eastridge (averaging nearly 67 points per game) to their second lowest game total of the season.
“To hold them to 58 points is pretty special because they put up a lot of points this year,” McCormick added. “The guys committed to being in a stance. They committed to playing defense as a team, communicating. We played a couple of possessions of 3-2 zone that through them off a little bit.”
Jamar Williams hit three 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Jamir Bloom (8), Jo-Jo Jones (6), Brock (2), Kerone Kearse (2) and Trevone Glasgow rounded out the scoring for Monroe.
Ty Glasgow steal and flush. 4:33 to go in 3rd @JMHSRedjackets 48 @EastridgeHoops 34 pic.twitter.com/8xbdEa9nAU
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) January 24, 2019
Arnold, Hannah and Jahmel Demery scored 13 points apiece to pace Eastridge (7-7). Reid added a dozen. Jaden Keech scored four. Adrian Rodgers had three.
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