Bethlehem Catholic 68, Allen 56 — Rapid Recap
The Bethlehem Catholic boys basketball team scored the first 10 points of overtime Wednesday night and made its free throws the rest of the way to hand Allen its first loss of the season in the regular season finale at a raucous Sewards Gym.
Turning point: The Canaries led 27-18 at the half but came back to tie it at 34 by the time there was less than three minutes left in the third quarter. It was a back-and-forth battle from there with each team taking turns with the lead — none bigger than two points in regulation.
A corner three from Ryan Young put the Golden Hawks on top 51-50 with 1:28 left in the game. Talek Williams then got to the line with 24 seconds left, and after Allen coach Doug Snyder called a timeout, he hit one of two to tie the game.
Bethlehem Catholic couldn’t get a shot off in the remaining time, sending it to overtime.
Senior forward Jordan Odle got the scoring going for the Golden Hawks in the extra period, with his buckets sandwiching a clutch three from sophomore guard Justin Paz that sparked the visitors the rest of the way.
Top performer: Paz led Becahi with 27 points while Will Melson had 16 points and Young added 15 points and 15 rebounds.
Tyrese Martin battled through an early ankle injury to lead Allen with 17 points. Williams added 14.
What it means: It’s a big-time confidence boost for the Golden Hawks and head coach Ray Barbosa — an Allen alum — heading into the playoffs. They felt like the first matchup with the Canaries (a 53-52 loss) got away from them and found redemption Wednesday.
Allen was crushed by the loss, but it might not be the worst thing. While an unbeaten season went by the wayside, there’s no longer the pressure of being undefeated as the postseason begins Friday.
Greg Joyce may be reached at gjoyce@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @GJoyce9. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.
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