Princeton sophomore Bryan Omwenga (13) attempts to regain control of the ball as senior Jordan Mosley backs up the play last Saturday at Allen. Photo by Andy Redmond / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Not many teams that have played a boys basketball game at Allen in recent years have left with a win.
However, Princeton wasn’t intimidated by Allen’s aura.
Earlier this season, Princeton led Allen by four points in the second half, although the Eagles rallied for an eventual 76-68 win.
Sophomore Bryan Omwenga made sure Princeton didn’t let a lead slip away this time.
Omwenga stole an inbound pass with 12 seconds left and made a layup to give the Panthers a two-point lead. The Eagles had a chance to tie or win the game, but their last-ditch 3-point attempt on the ensuing possession fell off the mark, and the Panthers held on to earn a signature 61-59 road win over the No. 19-ranked team in Class 6A last Saturday afternoon.
“Coach (Clark) Cipoletta called a timeout with 12 seconds left,” Princeton head coach Eric Lockman said. “I told Bryan Omwenga to jump up and down when defending the inbound pass and pressure it. If we got the basketball, I told them to attack the basket because we had no timeouts left. As quick of hands as Bryan has, I’m not shocked that he stole the ball.”
Even with Omwenga’s steal and layup, Princeton needed to make one final defensive stand.
The Panthers got the stop they needed.
“We were at the mercy of their best shooter,” Lockman said. “He had shot over 40% on 3-pointers. To me, it looked like he didn’t have enough leg energy when he shot it. That shot goes in any other time with the look he had.”
For much of the game, Princeton appeared to be in complete control. The Panthers (5-6 District 6-6A) led 47-36 at the end of the third quarter and increased their advantage to 15 points with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter.
Princeton built its big lead thanks to standout performances by Julius Johnson (18 points) and Jordan Mosley (14).
Mosley, who made his season debut Jan. 6 after missing the first two months of the season while recovering from a lower-body injury he suffered in football, has made a big impact for a Panthers team that has its sights set on its first playoff berth as a Class 6A school.
“Since we’ve had Jordan, we’ve had the chance to go 6-0, and we’ve had double-digit leads or a chance to win games at the end,” Lockman said.
Allen entered the game on an eight-game winning streak, and the Eagles nearly pulled off a furious rally to keep that streak intact.
Hampton commit Nehemiah Lawrence brought Allen all the way back from a 15-point deficit and into a 59-57 lead with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Lawrence led all scorers, but Princeton limited the scoring production of his teammates. No other Allen player scored more than seven points.
“Neo is an impossible matchup,” Lockman said. “We tried to put a bigger guy on him. We started to get someone who defended him on the ball better. We tried to force him into hitting some tough 2s. We had no answers for him in the third and fourth quarters. I told the kids that we had to make it difficult for their other players, which was our main goal.”
After Lawrence made the go-ahead basket, composure was the main point of emphasis Lockman stressed to his players.
“To go over there and beat them on their home court with an eight-game win streak was huge on all levels,” he said. “I was proud of our composure. The buy-in was already there, but this win will magnify it by 10.”
The Princeton girls basketball team also put up a strong fight but came up short in a 53-48 loss at Allen on Saturday.
“The girls are constantly learning to build basketball IQ and understanding,” head coach Six Smith said. “They are starting to understand that effort is self-willed and now we need consistency game in and game out. That’s what I’m happy about.”
Princeton received 21 points from Rayleigh Williams and 19 from Chandler Evans.
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