Three Things I liked: Richard Montgomery vs. Gaithersburg

<p><em>3ROCKVILLE, MD</em> -- RM and Gaithersburg squared off in front of a packed house on Wednesday night in a do-or-die situation. The Rockets ultimately defeated the Trojans by just 2 points off the strength of a Ryan Cornish buzzer beater. Below is a look at three things I liked from this hard-fought and physical contest.</p> <h2>CORNISH'S INTANGIBLES</h2> <p><strong>Ryan Cornish</strong> had just two points at halftime, and despite getting some good looks could not get his shot to fall. This did not affect his overall game. The gym was loud and it was difficult to hear at times, but Cornish was visibly urging his teammates to talk so they could continue to defend at a high level. In the final minute of overtime, he was responsible for hitting two clutch free throws to go along with the game-winner. Cornish also took two charges, one on Ituka and the other on Hawkins. Regardless of whether or not he is making shots, the sophomore continues to do things that won't show up on a stat sheet, but contribute to wins.</p> <h2>GAITHERSBURG'S TOUGHNESS</h2> <p>Both teams defended well, but Gaithersburg controlled the glass. Playing on virtually one leg, junior forward <strong>Chris Kouemi</strong> attacked the offensive boards relentlessly. Sophomore <strong>Jao Ituka</strong> was extremely difficult to contain because of his blend of strength and speed to go along with the ability to come up with second or third efforts at the rim. <strong>Jordan Hawkins</strong> did a tremendous job defending Cornish, utilizing his length to deny off the ball and smother while guarding the ball. <strong>Mandela Tarke</strong> was an x-factor. The athletic sophomore played tremendous defense and showed confidence in his shot despite missing most of his attempts.</p> <h2>THE AMBIENCE</h2> <p>The gym at RM was packed to capacity, and this is rare given how many seats there are. At the end of regulation when Gaithersburg had a chance to win it, you could feel the tension building in the arena. Fans, media, and security all crept closer in anticipation of a buzzer-beater. The same thing happened in overtime, and the home fans got what they wanted. </p>