Mogadore Outlast Manchester in Double OT

MOGADORE, OH: A beauty of the game of basketball is that when two teams take the floor, one will emerge victorious. No matter how long it takes. And even if it requires two extra periods for one side to finally lift its arms in triumph.

Double-overtime was required on Tuesday night when the Manchester Panthers traveled to Mogadore to take on a Wildcat team currently ranked fifth in the state of Ohio. The task was not an easy one for the hosts, but Mogadore was able to prevail, 78-74, in front of their home crowd.

After racing out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, and an 11 point lead at the end of the first quarter, it appeared to be business as usual for the Wildcats. But this Manchester team is scrappy, and it used the next three quarters to slowly chip away at the Wildcat lead.

After heading into the locker room at halftime down by just two points, Manchester won the third quarter to force a 40-40 tie heading into the final period. Little did the fans know, it wouldn't be the last time these two sides would find themselves deadlocked.

Manchester took its first lead of the game at the beginning of the fourth, and it looked like an upset could be in the making. The teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch, and tension mounted with every passing second.

In crunch time, Mogadore turned to one of its senior leaders in Zeddie Pollock. Pollock knocked down three free throws in the final 10 seconds of the game to force overtime.

Heading into the overtime period, Manchester found themselves down two of its starters due to fouling out. With their work cut out for them, the Panthers refused to fold. And their hard work would pay off when a JoJo France three-pointer tied the game at 64 with 12 seconds to play. A hold on defense forced yet another overtime.

In the second extra period, with both teams in the double bonus, Mogadore used clutch free throw shooting down the stretch to pull away from its Akron rival. A Zeddie Pollock steal and coast-to-coast layup to put the Wildcats ahead 73-68 with 1:01 left allowed Mogadore to finally pull away for good.

"We don't get rattled when we're down," said Mogadore head coach Russ Swartz. "They have confidence in themselves and the system, and they expect to win because of that confidence."