There he stood, calmly and confidently amidst the din of the crowd and row upon row of arm-waving distractions strategically situated just behind the basket and well within his line of vision.

All B.J. Andrews had to do with 1.7 seconds remaining in overtime Thursday night was knock down two foul shots, and the McDonough Eagles would secure a hard-earned, come-from-behind victory over host Benedictine in the championship game of the Capital City Classic.

“I live for that type of situation,” said the 6foot-3 junior guard, whose floor leadership, 21 points and 4-for-4 free-throw shooting in the final 30 seconds allowed the visitors from Owings Mills, Md., to claim a 61-58 win.

“It’s actually fun.”

While Andrews felt no pressure in the waning seconds, the Eagles felt nothing but in the first 20 minutes of the intensely played contest.

Using a variety of defensive alignments, the Cadets harried the Eagles into a dozen turnovers, numerous rushed passes and off-balance shots, and, if body language speaks, much frustration as Benedictine built a 31-21 lead midway through the third period.

“They played with energy and jumped all over us,” McDonough coach Donta Evans said. “We weren’t physical enough and weren’t taking care of the basketball.

“At halftime, we simplified some things on offense. That really settled us down.”
During a 2:25 stretch, the Eagles outscored Benedictine 10-0 to forge a tie at 31.
“Coach went back to the flex offense which we haven’t run much,” Andrews explained. “They’d scouted us, they had our sets down, so coach pulled it out of his back pocket.
“It gave us better ball movement, and we started attacking the basket. It wore them down.”

The tactical shift allowed 6-5 senior Kayel Locke to score all of his 17 points after the break.

“In the first half, everybody was stagnant, and they collapsed on me whenever I caught the ball in the post,” Locke said. “Once we started running the flex, it was harder for them to double-team me.”

The teams were tied at 33 after three periods and 47, thanks to a stickback by Nick Gorski at 0:21, after regulation.

With the Eagles’ confidence at a fever pitch, Nick Coppola kept the Cadets in the game with two 3pointers in overtime, but the visitors’ 6-for-8 free-throw shooting in the waning minute held the home team at bay.

“We were tough in the first half, we communicated, we were energetic defensively,” Benedictine coach Sean McAloon said. “Then, they tied it up, and that was the game from there.

“Every bit of confidence they lost in the first half, they gained in the second.”

MCDONOUGH (9-4) – Andrews 21, Hofmeister 6, Jorgensen 5, Jackson 10, Locke 17, Sweeney 0, Miller 0, Fisher
2. Totals 20 14-22 61.
BENEDICTINE (8-3) – Coppola 10, George 5, Gorski 4, Burgess 15, Burnett 13, Gill 2, Wilson 3, Fleming 4, Fehl 0, Hudson 2. Totals 21 11-13 58.
McDon. 7 9 17 14 14 — 61
Bened. 13 12 8 14 11 — 58