Memphis East rallies behind Malcolm Dandridge to defeat Whitehaven
Memphis East senior big man and Memphis commit James Wiseman fouled Whitehaven junior combo guard Matthew Murrell as he was going up for a layup. Wiseman seemed so frustrated with the call that he slammed the ball to the floor,…
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Continue ReadingMemphis East senior big man and Memphis commit James Wiseman fouled Whitehaven junior combo guard Matthew Murrell as he was going up for a layup.
Wiseman seemed so frustrated with the call that he slammed the ball to the floor, resulting in a technical foul, which was his fifth. Wiseman headed to the bench with the Mustangs down 42-39 after Murrell made 1 of 2 free throws.
Without Wiseman, who’s an offensive scoring machine, who would take over on offense for Memphis East? That answer was Memphis commit Malcolm Dandridge.
Dandridge scored 10 points after Wiseman went to the bench, including the game winner as the Mustangs (17-5) defeated the Tigers, 56-55, in overtime Thursday on Senior Night.
Dandridge finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal. Despite fouling out, Wiseman still managed to finish with 19 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.
Memphis East was down by as many as 13 points late in the third quarter as Whitehaven was able to get easy points in transition and some nice looks from the perimeter. Dandridge’s four points and a score from Wiseman made it 41-39 in the fourth quarter.
Wiseman fouled out after that, which forced Mustangs head coach Javonte Holmes to lean on Dandridge since he was the most experienced player out on the floor for Memphis East. Dandridge has been in close games before Thursday night. He was part of three straight state title teams that were coached by current Memphis Tigers coach Penny Hardaway.
“I just knew it was time to step up,” said Dandridge, who played 34 minutes. “I have been preparing for this for like 3-4 years. When Penny was my high school coach, he was preparing me for big moments, so there wasn’t any pressure.”
Dandridge brought the Mustangs within 42-41 with 3:49 left, then he got his team within two (47-45) with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter.
Whitehaven (17-6) had a chance to go up by four, but Kevon Mullins missed a layup at the rim. Senior point guard Antonio Thomas made both of his free throw attempts after junior point guard Kavion McCain fouled him as he was going up for the layup to tie the game at 47-all.
The Tigers had a costly turnover in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, leading to Memphis East getting a chance to win it at the end of regulation. Thomas took the last shot, but his 3-point attempt from the left wing hit air.
In overtime, Whitehaven went up 55-51 after Murrell’s 3-point play, but scores from Derrein Merriweather and Nautical Harwell made it 55-54. Harwell’s second free throw would have tied the game, but Memphis East was called for a lane violation.
Up one, Murrell crossed half-court, trying to find McCain on the wing, but overthrew him, giving the Mustangs a chance to win the game. Murrell dropped his head after the pass, knowing he made a huge mistake. Moments later, Thomas drove the lane, missed the layup, but Dandridge was there for the put back.
“I was telling Dandridge, ‘I need you, I need you, I need you,’ and he came on through,” coach Holmes said.
The Tigers had two seconds remaining on the clock to try to win the game, but Murrell’s full-court heave was no good.
Murrell led Whitehaven with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. McCain had 14.
3 takeaways
Whitehaven let this one get away. The Tigers had costly fouls and turnovers in the fourth quarter plus in overtime.
The guards for Memphis East showed up when their main leader was on the bench. Harwell’s one made foul shot set up Dandridge’s game winner. Harwell finished with seven points.
Jordan Wilmore fouled out right before Wiseman did at the 5:50 mark of the fourth quarter. If he could have stayed in the game, maybe he could’ve made Dandridge’s scores a lot tougher.