TechBoston stuns New Mission in Div. 2 South basketball first round win

TechBoston coach Johnny Williams’ confidence never wavered.

Not even when No. 7 New Mission pushed the two-time defending state champions to the brink in the fourth quarter or when Tre Norman missed the first of two free throws with the game tied and 1.4 seconds left in Thursday’s Division 2 South first round match-up.

No. 10 TechBoston’s resolve ultimately paid off as Norman calmly sank his second attempt to complete a wild comeback from a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit, lifting the Bears to a thrilling 59-58 victory.

“I was steady the whole way,” said Williams as TechBoston advances to the quarterfinals to face Westwood. “I wasn’t rattled. I know what my guys are capable of.”

New Mission (14-7) built a double-digit lead with Kemar Morgan and Hassan Jenkins providing stellar interior defense, while Abubakar Aden (16 points) sank a corner 3-pointer to put the Titans ahead, 52-40, with 4:45 left.

But TechBoston (14-7) then displayed its championship mettle with its senior duo of Shamar Browder (16 points) and Alan Nunez leading the way. Nunez cut the deficit in half with back-to-back 3-pointers, but Eddo Ehikamhen tried to hold off TechBoston by coming through with a clutch bucket and a pair of free throws for New Mission.

But TechBoston kept charging ahead, and Browder finished in traffic to level the score, 58-58, with 47 seconds left.

“We just kept pushing,” Nunez said. “Our coaches told us (to) believe. We just kept running, playing defense. We’re built for this.”

Rakim Butler (nine points, 13 rebounds) then secured a big rebound and with 7.1 seconds left, TechBoston diagrammed a play for Norman and the Bears watched him get fouled on a hard drive to the hoop.

Norman back-rimmed his first free throw in a raucous environment before ensuring that TechBoston’s storied run wouldn’t end on a rival’s home court.

“It’s not about me. I’m doing it for the rest of the team,” Norman said. “Moments like that we live for, we die for.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2T5s1sD