AMCATS Win 4 OT Thriller Over Lasell

Paxton, Mass. –  Freshman Patrick Bradanese (Billerica, Mass.) hit a game winning three from beyond the arc in the right corner with no time remaining in the fourth overtime to send the host AMCATS to a thrilling 96-93 Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball  victory over visiting Lasell College at the Fuller Activities Center on Tuesday night. With the win the AMCATS improve to 5-7 (3-2 GNAC) while Lasell drops to 1-11 (0-5 GNAC).

Senior Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) has a monster stat line, pouring in a career high 39 points on 13-of 26 shooting, colleting a game-high 11 rebounds and adding 5 assists with 6 blocks. Senior Javier Bristol (Haverhill, Mass.) chipped in with 17 points, added 5 rebounds, 2 assists and had four steals while junior Joey Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) was also in double figures with 15 points and 6 rebounds.

Pacing the Lasers were the backcourt duo of Angel Ortiz (East Lyme, CT) and Brandon Ganesh (West Palm Beach, Fla.). Ganesh finished with a team high 27 point, while passing out 9 assists and nabbing 9 rebounds while his partner contributed 17 points added 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Freshman Logan Liberty (Duxbury, VT) added a double-double off the bench with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Opening up the half with an 11-4 run, it looked as though the AMCATS were going to pull away early. On his way to a game high 12 first half points for the AMCATS, forward Anthony Click led the push, alongside a six point and three board contribution from forward Javier Bristol and junior guard Joseph Barillo's  six points.

The Lasers' Angel Ortiz, a sophomore, played an efficient first half, scoring 8 points on 3-5 shooting from the field. Junior Brandon Ganesh added seven points and sophomore forward Frank Apisa (Branchburg, NJ) pulled in a 20 minute high five boards while tacking on six points of his own.

The Lasers took their first lead of the game with less than a minute remaining in the half as Ortiz hit a trey and Apisa hit a jumper sandwiched around a Click basket for a 32-31 edge at the half.

The first few minutes of the second half were eerily reminiscent of the first. Click and Barillo led the way as Anna Maria opened up a 12 point lead at 46-34 with 15:22 to play.  Junior forward Chris Canino (Hartford, CT) helped the Lasers weather the storm, on his way to 7 points and 9 rebounds in the second half and when Ganesh hit a three pointer at 10:17 the Lasers had their first lead of the second half at 51-50.

 Bristol, Barillo, and Click ensured that the AMCATS were in striking distance, each adding 8, 9 and 15 points, respectively. Junior guard Rob Roy (Dover, NH) scored 7 points in the second half and combined with Ganesh's 13 point second half, the Lasers were almost able to seal the deal. However, Click went to the foul line with just under two seconds left in the game and the AMCATS down 67-66. Click's first attempt rattled out but his second hit nothing but net and the game headed into the first overtime locked at 67.

Each team hit just one basket and a free throw in the first overtime sending the game to a second OT tied at 70.

The second overtime saw both teams combined for 22 points. Lasell's Chris Canino and AMC's Click both notched a pair of free throws to even the game at 72. Anna Maria then went on an 8-2 run with baskets by Barillo an Bristol and four point by Peterson to take a 80-74 lead with 1:30 left in the stanza. The Lasers would not give up on this night and reeled off a pair of free throws and a layup by Ortiz to cut the lead to 80-78 with just under a minute to play. With the lead 81-78 AMCATS, guard Angel Ortiz swished a three with :32 ticks on the clock to send the game to a third extra session knotted at 81.

Once again Lasell would open the third bonus time with a basket by Mike Vallone for the quick 83-81 advantage. Anna Maria could only muster three free throws over the first two and a half minutes but still only trailed 85-84 and a jumper by Click at 1:37 gave AMC an 86-85 lead. Lasell's Ganesh answered with a quick push up the floor and a mid-range jumper for an 87-86 score. Click stepped to the line again with a chance for the win but could only hit one-of-two and we were off to our fourth tally drawn at 87-87.

The fourth overtime nearly wasn't enough either, this time however the AMCATS opened up the stanza with the lead. A pair of Click free throws and a hoop gave AMC a 91-87 advantage with 2:35 to play. Junior Rob Roy's shot from behind the arc cut the lead to 91-90 but the AMCATS' answered with a basket by Hugh Daye to maintain the three point lead 93-90 with just under two minutes remaining.  Lasell countered with an Ortiz basket to make the game 93-92. After an AMCAT turnover and foul, Frank Apisa went to the line with seven seconds remaining to try and give the Lasers the lead, the sophomore hit one-of-two to tie the game at 93. The AMCATS pushed the ball up-court and with the ball in his hands and being swarmed by Laser players, Click found Bradanese in the corner for the game winning heroics.

Anna Maria returns to action on Thursday night when they travel to Norwich University for a GNAC match-up against the Cadets, game time is slated for 7:00pm.