SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Suffolk CC's Streak Reaches 52

Clippers survive controversial call and last-second shot, win second consecutive national championship

BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
March 14, 2004

DELHI, N.Y. - Suffolk CC- Selden men's basketball coach Rich Wrase's hair might be a little whiter today than it was last week. If so, that's OK. An incredible and memorable national championship game made it all worthwhile.

Wrase's top-ranked Clippers had to win last night's NJCAA Division III national championship game twice - and they did, earning a second straight title and extending their winning streak to 52.

In a dramatic ending to a spectacular season, Suffolk CC- Selden defeated Eastfield College (Texas), 83-81, in overtime. After taking a 21-point lead in the first half and coming out on the short end of a ruling that sent the game to OT, the Clippers survived, finishing 34-0.

Tournament MVP Maurice Manning had 21 points for Suffolk. "It's what we worked for all season," he said. "This was sweet."

With Suffolk up by two, Eastfield's Norman Alexander stole a cross-court pass with three seconds left in overtime, raced toward the basket and put up a three-point shot from 22 feet.

With the national title hopes of two teams riding on the outcome of the shot, it came up short, Alvin Dennis rebounded it and the Clippers had their title. "I thought it was good when it left his hand," Suffolk's Amiel Thomas said.

"That last shot was like a flashback for me," said former Bridgehampton star Manning, who had fouled out and viewed the attempt from behind the shooter. "Floyd beat us with a shot like that when I was in high school. My heart dropped because they had one last shot. But when he let it go, he didn't have the distance."

The Clippers were forced into overtime when Jazz Henderson (28 points) sank a highly controversial three-pointer.

With Suffolk ahead 69-66 after two free throws by Dennis with 11 seconds left in regulation, Henderson took the inbounds pass, dribbled upcourt and hit a jumper with 5.5 seconds left.

His foot appeared to be on the three-point line, and with Suffolk under the impression that it was a two-point shot, Aaron Cummings inbounded to Manning, who dribbled out the final seconds until the whistle blew with five-tenths of a second left.

One official had signaled a two-point basket and another had raised his arms for a three-pointer. With the crowd in an uproar, after a short conference, the officials agreed the shot had been taken from behind the arc and awarded Eastfield the three points, infuriating Wrase and sending the game into overtime.

The dramatic end to regulation was set up when Manning grabbed Cummings' miss and converted the putback for a 66-63 lead with 1:09 left. Vernon Alonzo then went 1-for-4 from the free-throw line to make it a four-point game before Eastfield guard Addae Houston (24 points) buried a three-pointer to get the Harvesters within 67-66 with 12.7 seconds left.

Although Manning had to sit out 17:03 of the first half because of foul trouble, Suffolk built leads of 24-9 and 42-21 before Eastfield responded with a 22-3 run to move within 45-43.

The Clippers were hurt by 20-for-38 free-throw shooting, including 3-for-12 by Alonzo, who had 19 points. Eastfield shot 22-for-28 from the line. Marcele Street added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Clippers.

Suffolk opened the overtime with eight straight points for a 77-69 lead, keyed by Manning's three-pointer and a three-point play from Street.

SCC-SELDEN 83
EASTFIELD 81
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

Different kind of ability to rebound was needed
After controversial ruling took away win,
Suffolk CC got the job done in overtime

BY GREGG SARRA
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
March 15, 2004

DELHI, N.Y. - Even with a 52-game winning streak, even with back-to-back national championships, it's going to take a while, maybe even a few years, for the Suffolk CC-Selden men's basketball team to understand exactly what it accomplished this season.

The players will sit down at a reunion 10 years from now and remember the hysteria of the final seconds of overtime and the celebration that followed. They will remember how they had to win the national championship twice in one game.

Suffolk (34-0) punctuated a terrific run with a heart-thumping 83-81 overtime victory over Eastfield College (Texas) in the NJCAA Division III championship game Saturday night before a frenzied crowd of 1,700 at SUNY-Delhi's Farrell Hall.

Years from now, the Clippers will remember how every game this season was played with a target on their backs and that they nevertheless won them all, including five that went into overtime. They were resilient, exciting and had a flare for the dramatic.

"Resilient" may have been their most important quality Saturday night. Suffolk bounced back from a stunning and controversial ruling in the final seconds of regulation that turned what the Clippers thought was a one-point victory and a national championship into a tie and overtime. A stunned Suffolk responded by shaking it off and scoring the first eight points of OT.

Suffolk led 69-66 when Eastfield's Jazz Henderson swished a shot from just to the left of the top of the key with 5.5 seconds remaining in regulation. Henderson's right foot was clearly over the three- point line, and none of the three officials raised his arms to signal a three- point field goal.

The two officials out at the perimeter looked at each other in confusion. One, wearing a bewildered look, raised his eyebrows and shot out his left arm and three fingers to ask the other whether it was a three or a two. The other, who was standing closest to the shooter, shrugged.

"It was clearly a three from where I was, but my partner was blocked and didn't have a view," said the first official, who refused to give his name. "We communicated across the floor and then I raised my arms for a three."

With Suffolk coach Rich Wrase screaming at the official who had shrugged, the Clippers' Aaron Cummings inbounded to Maurice Manning, who tried to dribble out the clock, thinking he was preserving a one-point lead. With half a second left, play was stopped and the three officials conferred. After a brief conference, Henderson was awarded the tying three.

The decision incensed Wrase and some of his players. Wrase demanded that five seconds be put back on the clock; the officials refused. Wrase repeatedly screamed in all three officials' faces, setting the stage for a potential national championship-deciding technical foul.

"That's enough. That's the call. Now sit down, Coach," one of the officials told him.

''Why don't you go to the videotape?" Wrase asked.

The official responded, "You don't want to lose this on a technical foul." On that point, Wrase was in full agreement. Opting not to tempt fate, he sat down.

"It was a terrible call. He was clearly over the line," Wrase said last night.

Near the end of overtime, with tournament MVP Manning and Amiel Thomas having fouled out and with Marcele Street (named to the all-tournament team) and Cummings playing with four fouls, Suffolk led by two. Eastfield's Norman Alexander stole a pass with three seconds left, raced toward the basket and put up a potential winning 22-footer. It hit the front of the rim and Suffolk's Alvin Dennis corralled the rebound as time expired.

"I love these guys, this team," said Manning, who scored 21 points and will attend Division II Kentucky Wesleyan in the fall. "We put Suffolk on the map and I'm proud of that."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.

 
GODBLESSAMERICA

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