Rams win boys basketball game in final minute

The Rams basketball team on Tuesday increased its winning streak by four games and handed Coolidge its third straight loss in a 63-60, final-minute victory.

Jewuan Crosby and Justin Zabawa lead the team with 19 points a piece in a game where the Rams struggled to stay out of foul trouble. Coolidge took 35 shots from the line, but luckily for Maricopa, only made 16. Maricopa also missed several opportunities at the line making just 11 of 20 shots.

Coolidge struck first with a two-point shot at the start of the game and held on to a one-point lead going into the second quarter. Just more than a minute into the period, Zabawa drained a three-pointer to put the Rams up 17-15. After trading baskets for the rest of the half, Maricopa went into the locker room up five points at 34-29.

Another eight minutes of trading baskets followed in the third quarter ending in a tie at 43-43 to start the final period.

With just 57 second left in the fourth quarter the Bears were up by two points when Crosby made a shot from under the hoop to tie the game at 58 points each. Tay Orr blocked Coolidge’s inbound pass and tossed the ball to Zabawa who was fouled. Zabawa made one of his two foul shots to give Maricopa the lead 35 seconds before the buzzer sounded.

The Bears inbounded the ball and drove down the court but were unable to score. Crosby went to the line on a loose ball foul following the missed shot and gave the Rams another point to increase the lead to two points. Maricopa made three more shots from the line when Coolidge appeared to have purposely fouled the Rams to stop the clock. With four seconds left, the Bears made a two-pointer to cut the lead to three, but it didn’t matter as the Rams held on to the ball until time expired and claimed the victory.

Now, with a 5-3 record in league play, the Rams pass the slipping Bears at 4-3, for second place behind Safford (7-0). The game ended much differently than the teams’ last encounter when Coolidge beat Maricopa by 15 points. The Rams, winning four straight and nine of their last 10 games, now head to Empire High School who they beat 64-43 at home on Dec 14.

Photo by Jim Vigileos