In a fiercely contested, early morning battle, the Rockridge Rockets hit three free throws with three seconds left to halt an upset bid from the West Hancock Titans in Game 19, with the Rockets winning 45-42. The first half proved to be a shootout of sorts, with both teams shooting a near 50% (8-of-17) from beyond the arc. A trio of threes on as many attempts from Titan Luke Jacquot in the first quarter kept West Hancock close with the Rockets. The quarter ended with an 18-11 advantage courtesy of Rockridge. Late in the second quarter, the Titans cut their deficit to three, 27-24. However, the Rockets would end the quarter on a 6-0 run and enjoy a 33-24 lead heading into halftime.
The Titans would not go down easy, ratcheting up their defensive pressure to start the second half. The Rockets failed to score until there was under two minutes left in the third quarter, as West Hancock outscored the #1 seed 11-5 in the third period. It was a one possession contest for much of the fourth quarter, with a bucket from none other than Titan Luke Jacquot tying it up at 42 all with just over a minute to play. A personal plus technical foul on West Hancock put Jase Whiteman at the line with three seconds left in the contest, where he hit three of four free throws to put the Rockets ahead 45-42.
Rockridge saw three players score in double digits, led by Landon Bull with 17 points, 13 of those coming in the first half, and seven boards. Jase Whiteman had 15 points, including a game-high five steals. TJ Wilson finished with 10 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting performance.
Luke Jacquot led the game with 21 points on an 8-of-11 shooting clip, including a 5-of-7 performance from downtown. Gage Scott finished with 12 points. While Alec Hymes only ended with four tallies in the points column, he led the game with 11 rebounds and a current tournament high eight assists.
Rockridge advances into the 5th place contest, Game 24, and will face the winner of Game 20 (Macomb or Farmington). That game will be played later today in the 6:30 pm contest. West Hancock has been eliminated from the tournament.
Box Score
Rockridge Info
West Hancock Info
Emma Thorman
December 30, 2022
