PORTLAND ”“ The route may have been a bit bumpy, but who cares?
It’s the arrival that matters most, which for the Maine Red Claws, meant squeaking past the Dakota Wizards, 99-95 in overtime, before a sellout crowd of 3,045 at the Portland Expo.
Trailing by a dozen at halftime, Maine (9-9) hauled itself back into contention before buttoning down the win with a Mario West jumper with 14.1 seconds remaining in the extra session.
“It was ugly, ugly,” said West, whose key shot proved to be the capston on Mario West Bobblehead Night. “But we found a way to get it done. The team stuck together, and that’s what it’s all about.”
DeShawn Sims’ game high 26 point contribution helped a lot, as did the 17 points put up by guard Matt Janning, who ran the Claws’ point in the absence of the injured Jamar Smith.
Not to be overlooked were the 16 boards hauled down by center Tiny Gallon, whose size (6-foot-10) gave Maine its only response to a very tall Dakota (4-14) front court.
“We just battled together,” said Sims, “and pulled it out as a team.”
The Red Claws led 28-22 after the first quarter, then suffered through a dreadful second stanza in which they were outscored by Dakota, 32-14, and trailed 54-42 at halftime.
Wizards leapers blocked 11 Maine shots heading into the break.
“It was our effort (that was lacking),” said Janning. “None of us got up in their (faces). We were one step behind. But in the second half, we brought a ton of energy to the table. We got in them, a little bit, and made them make plays that they didn’t want to make.”
It took the Claws little more than eight minutes of the third quarter to erase the deficit, thanks largely to a 14-4 opening run.
Janning and Sims each hit for eight points in that stanza, which ended with the teams deadlocked at 69-69.
The stalemate held at the end of regulation, 92-92, but the Claws eased ahead early in overtime on a pair of free throws by Gallon.
West put Maine up by three, 98-95, which his crucial shot, and the Claws were able to hang on from there.
“We knew it was going to be a battle,” said forward Champ Oguchi. “We toughed it out. It wasn’t a pretty win, but not all wins are going to be pretty. As long as we get the win, that’s satisfactory for everybody.”
FLAGRANT FOULS: The Claws were missing starting point guard Jamar Smith, who is still battling the effects of a calf bruise, suffered in a game two weeks ago. ”¦ The first quarter was rough on the general health of the Claws. First off, center Tiny Gallon took a stray finger in his eye, a minute into the game, and sat out almost all of the rest of the quarter. Then forward Eugene Spates suffered bruised ribs which caused him to miss the rest of the first half. He played sparingly after that, but did hit some key shots during the Claws’ second half comeback. ”¦ The same teams meet again tonight at the Expo. Tip off is slated for 8 p.m., which is an hour later than previously announced. ”¦
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