Camden County College delivered knockout punch after knockout punch Thursday night in their combative rematch vs. the Roadrunner Men's Basketball team in Deptford, NJ.But the Runners refused to go down for the count.
Despite seeing four of their five starters return to the bench after fouling out in the final moments of play, the Runners managed to survive, pulling out a thrilling 79-76 triumph. The lone remaining starter as time expired was forward Aiden Cranmer, a West Deptford High grad who valiantly held the troops together in the final minutes to spark the emotional win. The triumph avenged a December overtime loss to Camden County in Blackwood, NJ.
Jabez DeJesus sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds to enable the home team to celebrate a stunning victory over a Region 19 playoff contender! Freshman guard Dasir Williams-Bey fired in 18 points, including 13 in the second half, while guard Hajir Davis finished with 18 points and guard Ace Lassiter chipped in with 15.
The Runners led by as many as 12 points in the second half, but the Cougars caught up to take a three-point lead twice in the final 3 minutes.
"I hate losing -- I even woke up this morning thinking we need to beat them to prove a point," said guard Amara Sacko, who played solid defense down the stretch.
The Runners held the lead most of the game, including a 38-31 halftime advantage, before stumbling late in the second half. Coach John Byrd watched helplessly as top scorers Lassiter and Davis were among four starters who fouled out with the game on the line.
'Those guys may have fouled out, but they were the reason we had a chance to win," said Byrd. "They played fearless ball and forced a lot of turnovers tonight."
Forwards Norwood Istavan Norvood led the CCC scoring effort with 31 points while teammate Zha'Mere Crawford added 16 points. They gave the Cougars a 74-71 lead with under 3 minutes remaining before the Roadrunners closed with an 8-2 surge to seal the outcome.
The Runners, whp won their eighth game of the campaign, will conclude the regular season with four games starting February 7 at Passaic CCC.