Eagles Lose Nail-Biter in Last Seconds on the Road

David FInney |  photo by G-Rox

Montreat, NC - In less than 24 hours, the Reinhardt Eagles were playing their second road game against Montreat College Cavaliers. Playing on the road in the Appalachian Athletic Conference is tough on a normal schedule, but playing back-to-back days with no rest can make things more difficult. The Eagles were up for the challenge and they were coming off their game on Friday where they had all cylinders running scoring 99 points. Would they have the legs under them to compete with a very good Montreat team?

The game would start similar to the previous day's game and Reinhardt had a tough time getting the ball to go down.  Montreat took advantage of the Eagles' slow start and pulled out to an early nine-point lead. Tyler Smith would strike first for the Eagles knocking down a long three-pointer early, however, Reinhardt would not score again until Smith would make a short jumper in the paint just under the fifteen-minute mark. Tafari Thomas would quickly follow with a quick layup and another throwdown dunk, however, the lead was still at nine.  The early deficit would have Reinhardt chasing again in the first half trying to keep the game in striking distance.

Just inside the ten-minute mark, the Eagles started to get their energy levels up and the shots started falling.  Keyshaun Street would have a three-pointer followed by a layup by Dereck Lampkin and another three-pointer by Kristian Collins.  This would bring Reinhardt within five points and it appeared everything was back on track to finish out the first half. A rim-rocker slam by Tyler Smith would chip the lead to four and silence the Cavalier fans with just five minutes to go in the half.

Jalin Wimberly would get the lead down to just two with two minutes remaining, but that would be as close as the Eagles would get as Montreat went on another small run to finish out the half. Montreat would have a 40-32 lead at the break.

Dereck Lampkin would start the scoring in the second half on an early layup. This would be one of several that Lampkin would score in the second half and his play would keep the Eagles competitive. The Eagles went on another cold spell early in the second half and Montreat's lead jumped to fifteen points really fast.  The lead would go as high as eighteen before Reinhardt started to make a dent just after the midway point in the second half. Lamkin's leadership running the team, solid shooting, and consistency at the free-throw line brought the Eagles back to a game that looked like it could be over early. Greg Hobbs, Collins, and Smith would help Lampkin in this effort with scoring and hustle plays of their own and it was a ballgame the remainder of the second half. In addition, Corey Fulton would give valuable minutes as well scoring seven in the run and allowing Thomas to sit because of foul trouble.

After being down eighteen earlier in the second half, Reinhardt would finally tie the game on a free throw by Lampkin, and then moments later they would actually take the lead on a jumper by Collins - 76-74 - with only two minutes remaining. The Cavalier fans in attendance were stunned by the comeback and the remaining two minutes would be a nail-biter for both teams.

Things would tighten up as seconds dripped off the clock. Greg Hobbs tied the game at 78 and it seemed as if the game might be added to overtime, however, with around 30 seconds left - Montreat hit a three-pointer deep in the corner hitting nothing but the bottom of the net. There was still time for Reinhardt to get off a game tieing three, Collins would have a good look at the top of the three-point line with 10 seconds left but his shot would rim out. The Cavaliers actually turned the ball over on a long inbound pass giving the Eagle one more shot. Reinhardt got the ball in and called a quick time out to set up the final play. Although still fairly far away from their basket,  Coach Newton was able to design a play that would get Tafari Thomas a decent look - but it was not the Eagles game to win this day. Montreat was finally able to breathe as Thomas' shot came up short and time ran out. Final 81-78.

The Eagles road games will continue this week as they take on Truett McConnell on Tuesday evening and then at Point University next Saturday afternoon. Look for Reinhardt to rebound back with two solid games this week.