Mount Vernon Defeats Augusta in Overtime

by HS Hoops

The Mount Vernon Mustangs outscored the Augusta Eagles 15-5 during the game's overtime period and won their home opener 74-64, Saturday, November 12th.

After an evenly played first quarter, ending with a 19-17 Mustang advantage, Mount Vernon controlled the second quarter before establishing a 33-23 halftime lead.  Arminas Kelmelis, a 6'6" Mustang forward showed off a broad range of offensive skills during the opening half, scoring 13 points.  Austin Crown started strong for the Eagles (14 first quarter points) before being slowed by foul trouble.

Midway through the third quarter, Mount Vernon guard Mikell Lands' mid range jump shot gave the Mustangs its largest lead of the game at 39-26.  Shortly after, while the Eagles trailed 43-33, Crown fouled out.  But Augusta rallied, going on an 18-0 run that spanned much of the third and fourth quarters, establishing a 51-46 lead late in the contest.

Augusta benefitted from hot shooting, making 10 second half 3 pointers (Matt Miller 5, Paul Jones 3, Dominic Brown 2).  Junior guard Paul Jones made the first of several timely 3 pointers in transition, giving Augusta its first lead, 47-46, since the first quarter.

But Mount Vernon regained their footing as guard Ty Hudson converted a 3 point play and Kelmelis sank 2 free throws to tie the game at 51.  After another Kelmelis free throw, Jones made a baseline jump shot to give Augusta a 53-52 advantage.  The teams continued to trade baskets and leads as Lands scored (Mustangs lead 54-53), Augusta's Dominic Brown made a 3 pointer (Eagles lead 56-54), and Hudson converted 2 free throws to tie the game at 56.

With 7.5 seconds remaining, Augusta's Miller barely missed a floater in the lane and fouled Mount Vernon's Hudson with 7.5 seconds remaining.  Eagles coach Chad Cook then received a technical foul.  After several Mustang free throw attempts gave Mount Vernon a 59-56 lead with 6.5 seconds remaining, Augusta's Miller found Jones in the corner for his biggest shot of many big shots on the night, a long 3 pointer in the right corner just before the buzzer sounded.  Jones' shot tied the game at 59, forcing an overtime period.

After Mount Vernon's Joe Sciberras opened the extra period with a bank shot, Jones made another bomb to give the Eagles a 62-61 lead.  But back to back baskets by Kelmelis and guard Keon Douglas enabled Mount Vernon to take the lead for good.

Mount Vernon, a young and talented team, was paced by junior forward Arminas Kelmelis (24 points) and freshman guard Ty Hudson (21 points).  Senior guard Joe Sciberras added 11 points, making 6 of 6 free throws in the overtime period to secure the Mustangs' lead.

Augusta's Matt Miller scored 20 points, including 17 in the second half.  Three other Eagles scored in double figures (Paul Jones 11, Dominic Brown 12, Austin Crown 14), and freshman forward Jacob Greenway added 7 points.

Coach Cook was thrilled with his players' performance, if not his own.  "Mount Vernon is a great team.  I am so impressed by the progress our players have made.  Many guys made big contributions and made even bigger shots when the game was in the balance.  I am happy that they are having these experiences so early in the season.  I failed them by playing a guy with 3 fouls in the second quarter, and, more importantly, by getting a technical foul at such a bad time.  I know better.  Our players deserve better," Cook said after the game.

The Augusta Eagles, 3-1 on the season, have a demanding schedule before Thanksgiving.  During the next 10 days, they will scrimmage 5 teams (Bethune Bowman High School, Battery Creek High School, Allendale Fairfax High School, Fox Creek High School, and McCormick High School), and they will play a regular season game on the road at the North Atlanta Flight's home in Gwinnett, Georgia (Saturday, November 19, 3:30 P.M.)

View the video below for highlights of the exciting contest.