Rogers, Scott get revenge

Start s Jeff Copeland tries to drive between Rogers defenders Quincy Caldwell, left, and KeSean Kerkulah Friday night at the Sullivan Center in a Division I sectional final.

The Blade/Jeremy Wadsworth
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Central Catholic played out as the Division I sectional final site for the unexpected.

Rogers and Scott put together late-game comebacks to avenge early season defeats against a pair of familiar City League foes.

Rogers trailed Start for most of the second half before putting together a late fourth-quarter rally to claim a 75-69 sectional final win in the second final of the night at Central.

And Scott pulled off a thrilling 66-63 overtime victory over Waite in a game the Indians forced an extra period after trailing by as much as 16 points.

Scott will face Rogers in a Division I district semifinal on Thursday at 8 at Savage Hall. St. John's Jesuit will meet Southview at 6:15 in the first contest.

Rogers' Damon Powell led four Rams in double figures by scoring a team-high 22 points. Traymone Camak added 18, while Quincy Caldwell and Derrick Sanderfer finished with 12 and 10, respectively.

Scott s Jo Von McClellan, left, and Sheron Allen defend against Waite s Darius Glover, who finished with 28 points.

Sanderfer scored all of his points in the fourth quarter, including a 6-for-8 effort at the foul line, to help the Rams outscore the Spartans 30-19 during the period.

"It was a total team effort," Sanderfer said. "The whole team contributed to the win. I just felt like I had to step up and make my free throws."

Anthony Henderson scored a game-high 26 points to lead Start, while Devin Russell and Demond Crisp finished with 13 and 10, respectively.

The Spartans led 35-31 at the half and were able to take a 50-45 advantage into the fourth quarter.

Scott s Owen Dotson slams down two points in the Bulldogs upset victory over Waite at Central Catholic. Dotson finished with 15 rebounds. Scott will play Rogers on Thursday.

The Rams played most of the game without 6-foot-8 center Dalante Heard on the court after he was called for two fouls early in the first half. Heard's situation didn't really improve in the second half. He picked up two fouls barely halfway through the third quarter, which sent him to the bench for the remainder of the period and more than half of the fourth quarter.

Yet, Heard, who finished with five points and avoided fouling out, walked away pleased knowing the Rams are still in the tournament.

"We came out here and showed that we're a complete team," Heard said. "It's about all 12 of us."

A comedy of errors turned into a drama with a cliffhanger conclusion when CL rivals Scott and Waite met during the first Division I sectional final.

The City League rivals combined for 43 turnovers in a game the Bulldogs led by as much as 16 points in the third quarter before the Indians clawed their way back to force the game into overtime.

However, the Bulldogs pulled it together in the extra period to knock off the Indians. Scott's Damon Dotson scored five of his 12 points during the extra period, while Tremayne Griffin produced four of his six points in OT before picking up his fifth foul.

Owen Dotson led the Bulldogs (6-13) with 15 points and four rebounds before he fouled out in OT. Vernon Freeman and Sheron Allen added 12 apiece for Scott.

"We were more aggressive this time," said Damon Dotson, of the Bulldogs' effort against a team they lost to by a point during City League play. "We played really hard and played smart, and we listened to our coach."

Darius Glover paced the Indians with game highs of 28 points and 14 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards. Antonio Allen added 14 points and Dishon Harris 10.

But 21 turnovers and poor foul shooting (19-of-35) proved costly for Waite. Glover made only 5-of-10 free throws in OT.

"We're all seniors, and we're all determined," said Scott's Allen, who is one of 10 seniors on the Bulldogs' 12-man roster. "We're just as talented as anyone else.

"The only difference between now and earlier in the season is, you lose and you go home."

After taking a 24-19 lead into halftime, Scott outscored Waite 18-9 in the third quarter to extend their advantage to 42-28 entering the fourth quarter. The Indians' troubles with taking care of the basketball in the first half (11 turnovers) continued in the third quarter when they were called for seven turnovers.

But the Indians turned it around in the final quarter by outscoring the Bulldogs 26-12 to send the game into overtime.

Both teams had their chances at winning the game in regulation, but both sides struggled to make the most of their free throw attempts in the fourth quarter. Waite was 3-for-8 from the line in the fourth period, while Scott went 4-for-10 from the line during the same period.

Waite was guilty of 11 turnovers during the first two quarters, resulting in several breakaway baskets for Scott.

Scott's Owen Dotson closed out the scoring in the first half by taking a Waite turnover and dribbling the length of the court past several Indians defenders before scoring on a layup with under 30 seconds remaining.

Freeman scored five points during the first half to carry the Bulldogs in the early going.

Darius Glover and Antonio Allen provided plenty of activity around the rim for the Indians. Both had eight points by halftime.

Contact Donald Emmons at:

demmons@theblade.com

or 419-724-6302.