Patriots nip Conquerors in OT

By Ryan Hanchett
Published in Sports on November 17, 2010 1:46 PM

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Tres Wilson was not the guy that Wilmington Christian wanted to take the biggest shot of the game Tuesday night.

It just sort of worked out that way.

Wilson banked in an NBA-range 3-pointer as the fourth quarter horn sounded and forced overtime for the visitors. The Patriots took care of business in the extra session and escaped with a 66-64 victory in the season opener for both teams.

After letting a 12-point lead slip away over the final five minutes of the game, the Conquerors found themselves needing one final defensive stop with 11 seconds left in regulation. Wilson dribbled the ball across halfcourt and immediately looked for hot-shooting Jon Roberts who was coming off a screen.

The Conquerors played Roberts perfectly and did not allow him to receive the pass, which left Wilson looking for options as seconds ticked away. His final option was a long-distance three that drilled the backboard and fell through as time expired.

"It was one of those things where we had a lead and I think our youth showed a little bit," said Faith Christian head coach Jeff Stocks. "We didn't really look like we knew when to slow down and it resulted in giving up the last shot."

The Conquerors (0-1 overall) fell behind early in the overtime period, but battled back behind point guard Aaron Hill. The diminutive floor general sank four free throws in the final period to help keep the Conquerors within striking distance. But with the game tied at 64-64 with 16 seconds left, it was the Patriots' leader that found himself with a chance to shine.

Alan Horsley, who shot just 2-for-8 at the free throw line, hit the second shot of a two-shot foul and gave his team the lead with 12 seconds to play. After a miss by the Conquerors, it was Roberts who connected on one-of-two and gave his team a 66-64 advantage.

The final shot went to the Conquerors with three seconds to play, but Matt Lambert's halfcourt heave bounced off the backboard and off target.

"I am never happy about a loss, but I can't really be too upset with this one," said Stocks. "We battled and our effort was good. We just need to fix some fundamental mistakes that come with being young."

Silas Denlinger led the Conquerors with 13 points. Wes Caudle added 12 points and six rebounds. Connor Anderson contributed 10 points, while Hill finished with nine.

Roberts led Wilmington with 22 points and eight rebounds. Horsley added 19 points and seven boards.