The clock wasn’t going to beat St John’s this time.
Neither were Station Hill.
Akeem Marsh had five of his game-high 24 points in extra time, including the decisive basket with ten seconds left as Roll-A-Way St John’s Sonics upended basketball’s Premier League leaders Mpact Station Hill Cavaliers in Tuesday’s 82-78 overtime thriller at the Gymnasium of the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex.
The result put an end to the Cavs’ league-high seven-game winning streak, which was exclusive of Station Hill’s stunning 17-point comeback against the same opponents.
It was also the second time in as many games that Sonics couldn’t pull out a win in regulation, following Sunday’s clock malfunction, which led to George Haynes’ game-winning tip being waved off when the time froze.
And history very nearly repeated itself – twice.
Quite like the April 15 collapse, St John’s blew yet another double digit lead to the league leaders, before rookie point guard Chiamaka Browne missed an uncontested, game-winning lay-up at the buzzer.
This time, though, they were allowed to take advantage of the extra time put on the clock.
Sonics scored the contest’s final seven points to finally take control of a game Cavs threatened to steal when Steve Grenville and Kevin Sealy had lay-ups to put Station Hill up 78-75 following a 72-all deadlock.
Rommel Garnes quickly answered with a game-tying trey before Whittaker scored the go-ahead basket on the very next possession while Jason Smith missed a jumper at the other end with less than a minute remaining.
But the Cavs would still have had a chance were it not for Marsh sealing the deal on the next play down with a strong driving finish to the middle to make the contest a two-possession game.
Haynes finished with 15 points and Browne added ten while Darren Hunte led the Cavs with 14 points.
Earlier, the league’s leading scorer Adrian Stewart had a game-high 22 points as Cougars routed First Works Warriors 78-58 in a rematch of the infamous Gym brawl.
