Junior tops 1,000 as Click blocks Hawks' comeback attempt
PAXTON, Mass. (02.08.11) – Senior point guard Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) led all players with 15 points en route to surpassing the 1,000 career points milestone, while sophomore Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) blocked Roger Williams University's last two shots to propel the Anna Maria College men's basketball team to a 50-47 victory at The Fuller Activities Center on Tuesday night. The first place AMCATS have now won seven straight games, including 12 of their last 13, improving to 15-7 overall and 9-1 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Hawks' loss snaps a three-game winning streak of their own, dropping their record to 14-8 on the season and 6-4 in the TCCC.
De La Hoz became just the 18th player in program history to score 1,000 points in an AMCAT uniform when he drained a three from the left side with 14:05 left in the opening half. Junior shot 6-for-11 on the night, including 3-of-7 from downtown, to lead AMC with 15 points. Junior Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I.) also had a big night for the AMCATS, earning a double-double by compiling 13 points, 11 rebounds, and a game-high six blocks, while Click contributed eight points, 13 rebounds, and two crucial blocks in the win.
Junior Pat Flanagan (Somerville, Mass.) collected a double-double for the visitors, scoring 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, while senior Taylor Petruccelli (Stratford, Conn.) scored a team-high 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor to go along with six boards. Sophomore Matt Clifford (Norwood, Mass.) also scored in double figures for the Hawks, knocking down 4-of-6 shots from the floor, as well as both of his free throw attempts to give him 10 points for the night.
The AMCATS exploded out of the gate to build a 24-6 advantage after the first 13 minutes of action. However, the Hawks rallied to end the half on a 14-4 run, capped by consecutive layups from Petruccelli, to cut the AMC lead down to 10 at the break.
The Hawks had a rough first half shooting the basketball, hitting just 8-of-30 (26.7%) from the field, including 0-for-9 from beyond the arc, while the AMCATS connected on 42.9% from the floor and 44.4% from downtown.
The Hawks' momentum carried over from the first half to start the second period, and after a layup by Clifford with 10:40 remaining in the game, RWU had pulled to within two at 36-34.
After AMC Head Coach Shawn Conrad called a timeout to gather his troops, the AMCATS responded with an 8-0 run, including five points from Click and a trey from De La Hoz to expand their lead back to 10 at 44-34.
With the AMCATS leading 48-39 and five minutes still remaining on the clock, Petruccelli hit three layups to lead the Hawks on an 8-0 run, cutting the lead down to just one with less than two minutes to play.
That's when AMC's Anthony Click took control of the game. First, Click drove to the hole and dished to senior Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) under the hoop for a layup to put the AMCATS up by three with 36 seconds left. The sophomore swingman then proceeded to block the Hawks' next two shot attempts to seal the victory, including a potential game-tying three-point attempt just before the buzzer.
Both teams will continue conference play this Saturday, with the Hawks hosting Regis at 3:00 pm and the AMCATS welcoming New England College to The Fuller Activities Center at 1:00 pm.
Photo Courtesy of David Sheridan for AMC Sports Information
