McDoom/Diamond fell to Western Union Central Mackenzie 69-66 in overtime when the National Community Basketball League (NCBL) continued last Thursday night at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.
McDoom/Diamond seemed destined to pull out the victory to stay undefeated as they played solid defense while getting out well on the fast break to score easy points.
Leading for the first three quarters by as much as 10 points McDoom/Diamond looked well in control of the game as they kept their poise throughout the first three quarters against the Lindeners.
The Lindeners, who were never totally out of the game, switched gears and began a massive comeback initiated by tenacity on the defensive side that saw them taking the lead with some five minutes remaining in the quarter.
However, with 1.4s on the clock and McDoom/Diamond up by one, the Lindeners already seemed defeated. But then a foul was committed which sent a Central Mackenzie player to the line who made one of two free throws to send the game into overtime.
Central Mackenzie finally took firm control of the game in overtime and was able to hold on to the thrill of a victory that drew critiques from fans due to the officiating of the game.
Steve Neils Jr, Jason Alonzo and Kevin Joseph had 17, 16 and 15 points respectively for the Western Union sponsored team in the close win while Travis Burnett of McDoom/Diamond had a game-high 21 points in the heartbreaking loss.
Earlier in the night, Universal Group of Companies Wortmanville/ Werk-en-Rust defeated Wismar 75-68 in a good display of shooting.
Wismar was unable to stop both the penetration and the outside shots as their defence seemed to contain gaping holes that they were unable to block up during the course of the game.
Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust employed the inside-out type of offensive method that worked to perfection against the team from Linden as they pounded the ball in the post drawing double teams before passing it out for open jumpers.
Randy Burgess led the way for Wortmanville/Werk-en-Rust with a game-high 19 points while his teammate Shawn Gillis also played well to post 17 points.
Chris Williams, who could not seem to find his usual touch from beyond the arc, finished with 12 points while Harold Adams scored 11 points in the loss.
The competition continues tonight at the Mackenzie hardcourt in Linden for two games.
The first encounter will see Wismar battling Sculpture Craft Beterverwagting/ Melanie while the Western Union Central McKenzie team which is still undefeated in the competition will go up against Tucville/Guyhoc.
