Late bucket earns Jacks win

OTHELLO — The Jacks got their first and only field goal of the fourth quarter on an Eric Martin layup with 6.5 seconds to play as Quincy came from behind to knock off Othello 40-39 in a CWAC contest Friday.

After the Huskies took a 39-37 lead on a pair of Gabe Cantu free throws at the 2:27 mark, the teams fought back and forth for possession and a chance to win the game.

Quincy's Martin was fouled with 37 seconds to play, and the Jack sophomore hit one of two free throws in a double-bonus situation to bring his team to within one of Othello.

From there, the Jacks fouled with 23 seconds on the clock, sending the Huskies to the line. Othello missed both free throws, and after Martin grabbed the rebound, Quincy called a time out to plan out their final possession.

Quincy set up Jay Knodell on an isolation play, hoping the senior would be able to break down his defender for an open shot at the basket.

"We tried to get Knodell one-on-one on a clear out," said Quincy coach Wade Petersen.

When Othello double-teamed Knodell on the elbow, Martin took advantage of the opening by cutting along the baseline to the basket. Knodell delivered the pass to Martin for the game winning hoop. For Martin, the basket was the final two of his game-high 14 points.

Othello then pushed the ball down the court, but David Felice's last-second 3-pointer was off the mark and the Jacks escaped P.J. Taggares Gym with the victory.

The game, a defensive battle from the opening tip, saw the Huskies charge out to a 12-4 lead on a deep Juan Garcia 3-pointer from the top of the key near the end of the first quarter. During their early run, Othello used a stifling full-court press to force Quincy into several turnovers.

"We had a little problem dealing with their press early in the game," said Petersen. "They had a lot of energy."

Down 12-6 to start the second quarter, Quincy outscored the Huskies 14-7 to take a 20-19 lead into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, Quincy built a 6-point lead on a pair of baskets from Martin and a hoop from Jesse Gonzales. Gonzales finished the night with 10 points for the Jacks.

Trailing 29-23, Othello rallied with a J.J. Suarez 3-pointer and a basket from Cantu to get to within one.

With 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Jacob Scott was fouled down low and went to the line. Scott hit one of his two free throws, part of his team-high 11-point performance, to tie the game entering the fourth quarter.

Throughout the game, but in the fourth quarter especially, defense was the dominant factor in the contest.

"Obviously, both defenses played very well," said Petersen. "The defenses were very solid on both ends. That's the kind of game I like to watch."

Unable to score from the field in the fourth quarter, Quincy attacked the basket and drew several foul calls on the Huskies. Despite making just one field goal in the fourth quarter, the Jacks were able to keep up with the Huskies by making nine free throws in the final period.

"Othello has some good size inside, so we tried to use our quickness," said Petersen. "We just tried to attack the basket. We got to the free-throw line."