Appoquinimink junior Keith DeLoatch draws the blocking foul on Mount Pleasant senior Ronald Shipman-Scott with 3.8 seconds left. DeLoatch hit one of two free throws as the Jaguars upset No. 1 Mount Pleasant 55-54 on Tuesday night at Appoquinimink.
Appoquinimink senior Kristian Alexander goes up for a layup in the second quarter against Mount Pleasant. Appoquinimink upsets No. 1 Mount Pleasant 55-54 at Appoquinimink Tuesday.
Mount Pleasant senior Robert Myrick waits as Appoquinimink junior Keith DeLoatch prepares to shoot two free throws with 3.8 seconds left in the game. DeLoatch would make one as Appoquinimink upsets No. 1 Mount Pleasant 55-54 at Appoquinimink Tuesday.
MIDDLETOWN – With the score tied and Keith DeLoatch stepping to the line for two free throws with 3.8 seconds left, Appoquinimink boys basketball coach Steve Wright delivered a reassuring message.
“A lot was going through my mind,” DeLoatch said. “My coach pulled me over to the side and told me that he’s with me, and God is with me. Right off the bat, when he said that, I knew I was going to hit the free throw.”
DeLoatch missed the first, to drop to 1 for 5 on the night. But the junior’s second foul shot hit the front of the rim and the back of the rim, then dropped through. A half-court heave by Mount Pleasant’s Raheim Burnett barely missed at the buzzer, and Appoquinimink upset the No. 1-ranked Green Knights 55-54 at home Tuesday night.
“I told him God is with him, and the whole team is with him,” Wright said of his words to DeLoatch. “I said, ‘Look, there’s no pressure on us. The pressure is on them. You’ve got two free throws, just make one.’”
He made the second, and that was enough. The Jaguars went 9-1 in games decided by five points or less last year on the way to an 18-4 season that ended in the state quarterfinals. But this year, Appo faltered late in early-season losses to Hodgson and A.I. du Pont.
That trend is reversing, as the Jaguars (5-3, 2-1 Blue Hen Flight A) scored the last 12 points to overcome Cape Henlopen 62-61 a week ago. And now, they have a signature win to start 2016.
“We’re putting it together,” Wright said. “We’re working on some situational things in practice, and we’re getting there. The kids are seeing their mistakes and turning them into positives.”
Mount Pleasant (6-2, 1-1) returns most of a team that went 21-3 and reached the state semifinals last season. The Green Knights got off to a good start on Tuesday, hitting 8 of 11 from the field on the way to a 17-10 lead after one quarter. But they couldn’t sustain the momentum.
“They played hard. Appo wants Flight A, just like we do,” Mount Pleasant coach Lisa Sullivan said. “They want the state tournament, just like we do. Each game is a steppingstone, and we’ll get better every game.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to lose a game to learn from it. Hopefully, we learned a lesson today.”
Mount Pleasant led 32-25 at the half, and 44-38 after three quarters. But foul trouble began to take its toll on the Green Knights. Their two tallest players – 6-foot-4 junior DeJon Backus and 6-foot-5 freshman KVonn Cramer – fouled out with 5:38 and 4:19 to play, respectively.
“We’ve never had size before, so I can’t use that as an excuse,” Sullivan said. “We made a lot of mistakes.”
A free throw by Kristian Alexander gave Appo its first lead since the first quarter at 49-48. But Burnett, who led Mount Pleasant with 22 points, made two free throws and a fast-break layup to push the Green Knights back ahead 52-49 with 2:55 left.
The Jaguars battled back to tie it at 54, and inbounded for a final play with 15.2 seconds to go. DeLoatch went down the lane and drew a blocking foul with 3.8 left, and he scored the winning point.
“I just took my time, bent my knees, and when I released the ball I knew it was going to go in,” DeLoatch said. “… It means a lot to me. Knocking off the No. 1 team in the state is always a great feeling.”
Alexander led Appo with 17 points, and Myles Cale added 16. The Jaguars enjoyed a big advantage in free throws, hitting 22 of 39 to Mount Pleasant’s 9 of 18.
“It’s a great win,” Alexander said. “We’ve just got to stay focused and stay humble. We’ve got to work on a few things, because we didn’t rebound that well, but it’s a great win.”
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @BradMyersTNJ