Pembroke tames West in overtime thriller, 66-62

PEMBROKE, NH — “Big game” atmosphere.

“Big game” excitement.

“Big game” performances from two of the best players in Division II.

Manchester West erased a 10-point deficit over the final 4:37, before running out of steam in overtime and falling to Pembroke Academy, 66-62, in a battle of Top 5 Division II teams, Tuesday night.

Trailing 50-40, and with starting forward Eliel Chavez fouled out, the Blue Knights (7-3) rallied behind the play of Max Shosa. The senior forward turned in another spectacular effort, with 33 points, 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.

“We got back in the game a little bit, Max got going. We tried to get it going up-tempo with the half-court trap a little bit,” said West Head Coach Rich Otis. “We were fortunate enough for them to turn the ball over a few times. It went right down to the wire and they made a few more plays at the end.”

Shosa sparked a 13-4 run that pulled West to within a point, 54-53, with just over a minute to play. Max Houde came off the bench to score points and dish out an assist during the run.

Pembroke’s own All-State candidate, Joe Fitzgerald, answered for the Spartans with a strong drive through the paint, laying it in to push the lead to 56-53.

Next, it was Shosa’s turn in the game of “Can You Top This?” With a hand in his face and time winding down, Shosa drilled his fourth 3-pointer of the game and second of the quarter, to tie the score with 30 seconds remaining.

Pembroke (10-1) tried to play for the final shot but when Evan Berkeley drove down the right side of the lane, his shot was swatted away by West forward Nathias Obando.

The overtime belonged to Pembroke. Obando made 1 of 2 free throws to give West a brief 57-56 lead. But Fitzgerald scored on a power drive to spark a 7-0 run, giving Pembroke the lead for good, 63-57.

Fitzgerald finished with 25 points and seven rebounds to lead Pembroke. Berkeley (22 points) and Zach Al-Shawah (12 points) combined for eight of Pembroke’s 10 3-pointers, most of which came in the first half and helped the Spartans build a 27-19 halftime lead.

“It was all about the 3s. The 3s were the difference,” said Otis. “At halftime, they had 27 points and 21 were on 3s. They penetrate well, they get into the paint and spray it (to the perimeter). They’re a really good basketball team.”

When West tried to defend the perimeter more aggressively in the second half, Berkeley and Fitzgerald began attacking the rim aggressively and with consistent success.

At the other end of the floor, West was squandering scoring opportunities with nine missed shots in the paint. Led by the play of Will Tanuvasa (16 points, 5 rebounds) Blue Knights got off to a strong start, building an early 5-0 lead and showing off a tight defense. That lead could have been significant higher but for missed layups.

Shosa had just seven points before catching fire in the third quarter. He hit 5 of 7 shots in the quarter (14 points), including a pair of NBA-distance 3-pointers.

With his 33 points, Shosa now sits just 69 shy of becoming the first male player in school history to reach 1,000 points for his career. West’s next five games are at home, starting Friday against Oyster River. With Shosa averaging 26.8 PPG, he is due to reach 1000 points on Feb. 6 against Kingswood.

“I think, personally, (Shosa) is the best player in our Division,” said Otis. “I’ll go to war with him any day.”