NEW PHILADELPHIA — Teams win some and lose some, but the best win at all costs.
With grit, determination and a little bit of luck, the Schuylkill Fire Dogs (2-1) picked up their second win with a 145-141 overtime thriller against the York Mighty Ants (0-2) on Saturday at the Citadel Athletic Complex.
With the Fire Dogs down 129-124, three different York players missed six consecutive foul shots, allowing Shannon Givens and Will Barrett to combine for five free throws in the final 25 seconds of the fourth quarter to force overtime and steal the win.
“The guys stayed in it,” Fire Dogs coach John Plachko said. “There were times when we looked like we were dead in the water, and we thought it was over, but those guys stepped up and kept fighting and fighting and wouldn’t give in.”
Cory Houser led the Fire Dogs with 39 points, and newcomer Givens added 38 points off the bench and shot 10-for-15 from the foul line.
Givens, who was making his Fire Dogs debut, paced the team’s offense with nine points in 16-12 overtime.
“Shannon was awesome,” Plachko said. “I had heard he was good, and he ended up being explosive.
“Some of the dunks he had were sick, and he gave us a whole other dimension in the game.”
Despite shooting 7-for-19 from the free-throw line in the first half, the Fire Dogs trailed by only three points at halftime, with the Ants ahead 60-57.
In the second half, the Fire Dogs combined to shoot 21-for-26 from the foul line, and Givens and Barrett capitalized on York’s six consecutive missed free throws in the final minute of the fourth quarter.
“This win was huge,” Plachko said. “... We knew York was going to be tough, so to win here is big. These guys had the will to win.”
Game Summary
YORK MIGHTY ANTS (141) — Edwards 10 1-2 22, Harbold 4 2-2 10, Arnold 2 6-10 10, Parker 4 11-12 21, Harris 3 7-8 13, Tipton 10 5-7 31, Harvey 2 0-0 4, Rivers 6 0-0 12, Walker 5 0-4 10, McDuffie 1 0-0 2, Doleman 2 2-2 6. Totals 49 34-47 141.
SCHUYLKILL FIREDOGS (145) — Houser 16 5-9 39, Givens 14 10-15 38, Thomas 1 3-6 5, Davis 7 1-2 16, Eichhorst 4 2-2 10, Barrett 3 9-13 15, Jordan 1 3-4 5, Bell 7 1-1 17. Totals 53 34-52 145.
York (0-2) 29 31 38 31 12 — 141 Sch. (2-1) 26 31 44 28 16 — 145
3-point FGs: Edwards, Parker 2, Tipton 6, Houser 2, Davis 2, Bell 2