Williamsport boys basketball beats Dallas in 2 OT | News, Sports, Jobs

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Tevin Williams (11) drives around Dallas’ Tyce Mason (2) in the first quarter.

Williamsport found itself neck-and-neck with Dallas, biting through a team with only one loss this season in overtime. On Tuesday night in the Magic Dome, Williamsport made it past Dallas’ strong offense and defense to secure an 81-65 win, moving to 3-3.

The game started with equal pressure by both sides in full court man-to-man play until scores reached double digits, with Dallas meeting Williamsport’s strong presence at home with tight zoning.

“We knew they were going to come out in a 1-2-2 full court press,” Williamsport coach Allen Taylor said. “We knew they were going to pack in the zone and try to make us perimeter-oriented, and they were out-hustling us.”

Starter Naziir Lowe and Dallas’ Joey Nocito locked horns early, establishing a fast tempo and driving their teams into tense possessions with Dallas’ Pat Flanagan breaking through with a dunk during the first quarter. By the end of the first half, scorers for Williamsport included starter Kason Ulmer, as well as Mekhi Gaston and Ethan Chilson, the latter helping to keep their score deficit in single digits. 

The Millionaires had six players end the game in double figures with Ethan Chilson leading the charge with 19 points. Quincy Williams and Tevin Williams both scored 14 and Gaston and Kason Ulmer both scored 12. Williamsport also received a 10-ppint effort from Lowe.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Mekhi Gaston (22) pulls down a rebound from Dallas’ Pat Flanagan (10) and Kael Berry (3) in the second quarter.

“We were guarding the screen and the shooter was turning the corner and getting downhill,” Taylor said. “Eventually, we did a better job of showing them they couldn’t turn the corner and forcing them to make another play.”

Going into the second half, Williamsport trailed 32-23, a nine-point gap which widened to 12, the largest Dallas would hold over Williamsport. To close that gap, Williamsport played a matchup zone to best employ their strengths.

“We did a little match-up to throw them off a little,” Taylor noted, “and we had some guys in foul trouble, so we have to try to not be too aggressive and only have guys in position. So, we were able to contest and push for rebounds.”

The play mostly succeeded, not without Lowe reaching his fourth foul, and the third quarter finished at 43-44 before Williams helped start a chain of ties trading back and forth. In the process, Dallas called one time-out and Williamsport two. 

“I just wanted to make sure that we were all on the same page for offense and defense,” Taylor said. “Defense was big, because it was either we had a two-point lead or it was tied. It was about being smart with the basketball and making good decisions, knowing who we have to cover.”

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Kason Ulmer (43) shoots over Dallas’ Chris Flanagan (4) in the second quarter.

With 30 seconds remaining, the two teams were tied at 53 and, with no buzzer-beater, the game went into overtime. Fouls were piling up for both teams, Dallas’ Kael Berry and Maurice Baines fouling out before overtime ended. With ten seconds remaining, a tie of 61 turned into a tie of 63 interrupted by a time-out by Williamsport with two seconds to spare. 

The tie stuck and double overtime started with Lowe setting the tempo in favor of Williamsport, maintaining strong defense paired with the offense necessary to break the tie. Dallas’ Nocito tied again at 65, but this was the last point Dallas would score. After a dunk from Gaston and a series of fouls — including one technical — from Dallas, a gap in score skewed further to Williamsport, allowing them to rest easy and finish the game with a 16-point lead.

After the game, Taylor praised the boys in and out of the locker room.

“I’m proud of the way these guys battle. In the first half, I thought Dallas was outcompeting us. I mean, they were a step faster than us, more aggressive to the ball, much more physical than what we were,” Taylor said. “I thought the guys responded well in the second half, so I’m proud of them.”

Williamsport 81, Dallas 65

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Ethan Chilson (30) drives around Dallas’ Tyce Mason (2) in the second quarter.

DALLAS (65)

J. Nocito 3 1 4-2 11, T. Mason 1 4 14, K. Berry 6 1 12-7 22, C. Flanagan 2 2-1 5, B. McCann 0 0-0 0, P. Flanagan 5 5-3 13. Totals 23 13-23 65.
WILLIAMSPORT (81)

Naazir Lowe 1 8-12 10, Saleem Overton 0 0-2 0, Quincy Williams 4 5-6 14, Maurice Baines 0 0-0 0, Tevin Williams 6 2-8 14, Mekhi Gaston 5 2-4 12, Aden Edwards 0 0-0 0, Ethan Chilson 6 2-2 19, Jensen Spencer 0 0-0 0, Kason Ulmer 5 2-4 12. Totals 27 21-38 81.

Dallas 16 16 12 9 10 2 — 65

Williamsport 9 14 20 10 10 18 — 81

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Mekhi Gaston (22) and Dallas’ Pat Flanagan (10) wrestle for a pass in the second quarter.

3-point goals: Dallas 6 (Mason 4, Berry 4, Nocito 1), Williamsport 6 (Chilson 5, Williams 1).

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Mekhi Gaston shoots over Dallas’ defense in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Tevin Williams (11) drives down the floor in the second quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Tevin Williams (11) tries to shoot over Dallas’ Pat Flanagan (10) and Chris Flanagan (4) in the first quarter.

MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Williamsport’s Tevin Williams (11) drives around Dallas’ Chris Flanagan (4) in the first quarter.