BOYS' HOOPS: A foul shot makes the difference
CAMDEN - It came down to foul shots.
Alec DiPietrantonio made the one he needed.
On the opposite side, the Camden High School boys’ basketball team continued to be burned by its biggest demon.
Fouled on a 3-pointer with 0.3 seconds on the clock, DiPietrantonio connected on his third free throw to give Bishop Eustace a thrilling 45-44 victory in an Olympic National showdown between Top 5-ranked teams Tuesday.
The Crusaders held for the last shot, inbounding with 1:05 left.
“We were patient and did what we had to do,” Bishop Eustace coach Bob Falconiero said. “We were holding for the last shot unless we had a layup. … I looked up at the clock to see if I should call timeout or not and it was already too late. Fortunate for us.
“He’s been in that situation before. He really made it hard on himself, but he made the one that counted.”
After two pretty bad misses, DiPietrantonio sealed the outcome with a shot that found nothing but the bottom of the net.
“The first two, I was pretty confident. The last one, I was pretty nervous,” the 6-foot-6 senior forward from Mount Laurel said. “The crowd, everyone in the gym was screaming. I just concentrated and knocked it down.”
“Even after he missed the first two, I didn’t bat an eye. I knew he’d make the last one,” noted senior guard Nate Carpenter, a Westampton resident.
Bishop Eustace (10-1), No. 4 in the Courier-Post Mean 15, extended its winning streak to eight games. DiPietrantonio had 11 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. Carpenter contributed a season-high 13 points to go along with five boards and three assists.
James Dieter scored all 10 of his points in the second half.
The Crusaders played without senior Jesse Saul, who suffered an ankle injury Saturday against Cherry Hill West. Falconiero said he could return for Thursday’s game against No. 13 Cherry Hill East.
“Jesse is a huge part of our team, but we had other guys step up. It was that man-up mentality,” said Carpenter, who had nine second-half points.
Fifth-ranked Camden (9-2) lost for the second time in its last three games. Myles Thompson had 12 points and four rebounds, while Ethan Tarte added 11 points. John Evans contributed 10 points, five rebounds and six assists.
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It proved to be another rough outing from the foul line, with the Panthers making just 9-of-19. On the season, they’re shooting just under 60 percent from the line.
‘I’m not going to question that official. It’s just a heck of a way to lose,” Camden coach John Valore said. “But should we be in that position? No.
“We just are not a very good foul shooting team and it has been that way. I’d rather not get fouled and take a shot instead. It’s not there, and it’s not from practicing. You’re on stage and the lights are on. Sometimes you forget your lines. This line is to make foul shots.”
In a tightly contested matchup where neither team led by more than five, Bishop Eustace held a 19-17 halftime lead. Camden got six points from Evans and five apiece from Tarte and Thompson to take a 37-34 advantage into the fourth.
Over the final eight minutes, Bishop Eustace cut its deficit to one point on four occasions before Pat Fish tied it at 44-44 on a drive down the middle with 1:25 left.
The Crusaders’ only lead of the quarter came courtesy of DiPietrantonio.
“We’re not the most talented or athletic group, but we’ve been playing together since freshman year,” he said. “We play well together, execute together.
“We knew we had to play all 32 minutes, we had to battle. This is definitely a big win for us – a conference game in Camden. This will give us some momentum.”
Kevin Minnick; (856) 486-2424; kminnick@gannettnj.com
Bishop Eustace 45, Camden 44
No pressure: Alec DiPietrantonio made a foul shot with 0.3 seconds left for the win.
Rough at the line: Camden made just 9-of-19 foul shots.
Well said: “Two great teams going at it. No one really had the upper hand until crunch time and we executed at the end.” – Bishop Eustace senior Nate Carpenter