Seahawks Use Something Old, Something New To Come From Behind And Steal An Overtime Victory From Madison

By BRIAN McNICOLL
South Lakes High boys’basketball coach Mike Desmond said in December that basketball teams have to be good or young and that he would decide which to pursue when district play came around..

It appeared he had chosen “young” on Friday night at South Lakes in the Concorde District opener against Madison. But when the chips were down late in the game, it was two seniors who pulled the Seahawks through.

Senior forward Brady Theis took charge inside late in the game, and senior guard Makhai Ramos made a runner in the lane with two seconds left in overtime as the Seahawks survived a scoreless first quarter to defeat the Warhawks, 53-51,

South lakes trailed 43-34 with 4:45 to go but pulled even at 45-45 on a basket by freshman David Landeryou with 16.7 seconds left. Madison had a chance to win with 3.7 seconds left, but Madison forward Josh Tyrrell missed two free throws to send the game to overtime.

Theis opened the overtime for South Lakes with a drive down the lane, then Ramos drove inside and drew a foul to put South Lakes ahead 49-47. Madison scored two straight baskets to go up, 51-49, but Ramos drove into the lane with 334.4 seconds to tie it, then powered past a screen and made a floater in the lane with 2.2 seconds left to clinch the victory.

“We call it ‘flat.’ It’s a ball screen across the top,” said Ramos of the game-winning play. “So I knew what to expect, and I knew if we set it up right, I would score.”

It wasn’t hard to figure out where the Seahawks would look for points. Ramos had 15 points, nearly double that of any other teammate. He is the Seahawks’ most reliable scorer and best downhill threat. He also is a senior and one of the most experienced members of a team that won the last two Class 6 state championships with a vastly different cast.

“He’s a guy who can make plays in the moment,” Desmond said. “And he’s the only one who can consistently score for us right now.”

For a long time, nobody was scoring for the Seahawks. South Lakes missed its first 18 shots and didn’t score until Jaden Edwards scored on a feed from Joshua Dagbe with 5:15 to go in the first half. Fortunately it was only 14-2 at that point, and South Lakes got back within 18-8 at the half despite 4-of-30 shooting.

“A scoreless quarter in varsity boys’ basketball …” Desmond said. “I’ve never seen that before. I’m seeing all kinds of things I’ve never seen before.”

The Seahawks finally closed the gap with a 19-9 fourth quarter that featured Theis setting up shop in the middle of Madison’s 2-3 zone, which enabled the Seahawks shooters to finally get some good looks, and the Seahawk defense forcing 10 turnovers. Braden Byrnes, now a starting junior guard, took advantage for a 3 to cut the lead to nine, then Ramos scored twice on steals to cut it three, then Emerson Finney hit a bucket, Landeryou scored, and the game was tied.

Desmond’s lineup tinkering may not be done. “I like the idea of the younger guys playing, but we’ll still have roles for Theis – you have to have a guy like that to hold everything together; Makhai – he’s the only one who can throw it in the ocean right now; and Nate [Zschunke, also a senior], who comes in and gives us those key minutes inside,” he said.

South Lakes improved to 7-7 overall and Madison fell to 4-9 in the district opener for both teams. Desmond said he was proud his team kept playing after the disastrous start, and he does see a path forward for his team.

“It’s not that we were so good,” he said. “But we didn't quit. We didn't get down. We played good defense most of the game, which was what gave us a chance."