Wardell's late free throws lift Mesa men to 63-62 win over Central Arizona
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Central Arizona College (17-10, 11-8) | 26 | 36 | 62 |
|
Mesa Community College (18-7, 15-4) | 25 | 38 | 63 |
Central Arizona College
| Game Statistics | Central Arizona College | Mesa Community College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (23-53) | (20-60) |
| Field Goal % | 43.4% | 33.3% |
| Rebounds | 33 | 30 |
| Assists | 16 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 8 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 7 | 2 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 7 | 16 |
| Pts in the Paint | 30 | 24 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 4 | 16 |
MESA, AZ - Charles Wardell (So., Milwaukee, Wisc/Notrthwest Secondary H.S.) made two free throws with 2.3 seconds remaining to complete yet another Mesa comeback from a halftime deficit and score a 63-62 win over Central Arizona Saturday.
With the win MCC can do no less than tie for the ACCAC Division I regular season title. It holds a minimum of a three-game lead over Cochise and eliminated CAC with the win.
That win was anything but certain for MCC which trailed most of the game.
After a three-pointer by Javion Watson gave CAC (17-10, 11-8) a 7-4 lead, the T-Birds slipped behind by nine, 24-15. At that point a jumper by Jordan Pratt (Fr., Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain H.S.) ignited a 10-0 run by MCC which culminated in a 25-24 lead on a layup by Mitch Burnett (Fr., Phoenix, AZ/Central H.S.) with 43 seconds left in the half. Malik Thames gave the Vaqueros a 26-25 halftime lead on a jumper with 11 seconds remaining, but that set up yet another second half Mesa comeback.
For the seventh time in the last 16 games, including both contests with CAC, the Thunderbirds rallied from a halftime deficit to win.
This time, after regaining the lead with the first basket of the second half, a jumper by Wardell, the T-Birds slipped behind on a three by Watson. Mesa would not lead again until 1:21 to play, and actually trailed by ten midway through the half, 52-42.
Andrew Jones' (So., Portland, Ore/Westview H.S.) nailed a three-pointer to push MCC back on top, 61-60. Thames answered on an acrobatic move in the lane with just 7.9 seconds left, seemingly blunting MCC's comeback.
But Wardell was fouled as he drove the middle and calmly sank both free throws at the 2.3 second half. A desperation, half court, heave by CAC was well off the mark.
The win was Mesa's sixth straight in the series with the Vaqueros, the last loss coming three years ago.
Khari Holloway (So., Jackson, Miss/Mountain Pointe H.S.) led the T-Birds with 15 points, while Burnett added 11 and hauled in a season-high 12 rebounds. Wardell finished with ten points, including the final two breath-takers.
Mesa will go on the road Wednesday for it's final regular season road game where it can lock up the No. 1 seed in the up-coming Region I Tournament for the second straight year. Game time is 7:30 p.m.