Olney four-game win streak snapped by Holliday, 43-42
OLNEY — A pair of Holliday High School free throws with less than 5 seconds in regulation snapped Olney’s four-game with the Eagles edging the Cubs 43-42.
Olney seemed in the driver’s seat after free-throws by senior guard Brent McCorkle tied the game with 23 seconds left, but a controversial call on the subsequent Holliday possession put (5) at the line for the game-winning shot.
“They drove to the goal at the right time to get the call,” Olney coach Carl Pennington said. “The officials did not cost us the game, but I didn’t like the call with 4 seconds left in a tie game on a tic-tac foul. The official made the call and he sees what he sees. I’m not going to blame him for that.”
The infraction not only led to a crucial lead change, it also ended the game for senior forward Eli Johnson, who had been an offensive and defensive force in the paint before fouling out. With 4.3 seconds left, the Cubs looked to inbound the ball fast and get it McCorkle, who led the Cubs in scoring with 17 points. After receiving the inbound pass, McCorkle drove the length of the court, lofting a contested 3-pointer that clanged off the front of the rim, signaling the loss just milliseconds before the buzzer.
“We set up to where Brent could get down the court and dribble it. We got a good shot off and I thought he got bumped. They did not call it, but that’s part of the game and sometimes they don’t call it. I’m not going to blame the officials we had our chances to win the game.”
Despite coming back on the formidable 3A Eagles, Pennington said his 2A Cubs did well, but came up short at the end.
“We’re not here for moral victories,” Pennington said. “We’re trying to win every game and that was a win-able game. Holliday is a good team and they run their sets, but our defense was great. At the end, we hustled. They got up by seven, but we fought and got back into the game.“
With Tuesday’s loss, and Friday’s 40-36 victory against Albany, the Cubs now sit at 4-2 on the season. Despite facing some of the area’s most elite teams at the Graford Basketball Tournament, Johnson said he likes the Cubs’ chances Thursday, when they open the tournament against the 2-1 Henrietta Bearcats.
“After halftime, we came out like a different team. We put it on them and it was a different game,” Johnson said. “... I feel great about us. We’re way better than last year’s team and we’re going to do some things this year. It’s our defense. We just need to focus on running the plays right and running them hard.”