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Complete Forecast for  Jul 06 2008

By JOE BUIE
Staff Writer

At the most controversial point in Saturday's classic, the Tyler Junior College players decided not to cry over spilled milk.

After No. 13 Paris forced overtime on a disputed putback as time expired, the No. 10 Apaches dominated the extra period to beat the Dragons in a 93-82 thriller in front of about 2,000 fans at Wagstaff Gymnasium.

TJC (22-1, 16-1 Region XIV), off to its best start since 1981, outscored Paris 18-7 in overtime to seize a two-game conference lead with five to play.

The Apaches earned a season split with Paris (22-3, 14-3) and also extended their home winning streak to 19 games. Paris was the last team to win in Tyler on Feb. 10, 2007.

The big TJC crowd was dismayed at the end of regulation when the officials huddled and said the ball left Eric Tramiel's hands before the red light came on, tying the score at 75-75 with the clock expired.

The tip-in followed a miss by James Livingston, who attempted an off-balanced shot along the edge of the free-throw lane. A call was not immediately made, and the officials did not confer with the scorer's table.

While TJC head coach Mike Marquis protested vehemently, assistant coach Scott Monarch huddled up the team and made sure the Apaches were ready to play the overtime.

They were ready.

Jimmy Butler, who had a game-high 24 points, knocked down a jump shot 20 seconds later and the Apaches had the lead for good. Jamie Vanderbeken, who had seven blocks in the game and 15 points, hit one of two free throws after a Paris miss to make it 78-75.

Malcolm Thomas then made a steal and a thunderous dunk to put the Apaches up by five.

"When we came out for that (overtime) tip, the crowd stood on their feet," Marquis said. "That's the best home crowd we've had since I've been here. You could even feel it on the bench with our guys.

"Everyone was jacked up and our kids were positive and said, 'OK, let's win it now.' It wasn't, 'What happened?' Obviously, I was upset but the kids really did a good job and Scott did a good job huddling them up and keeping it together. We made some good plays all the way through the five minutes."

Thomas, a sophomore from Karnack, made his only 3-pointer of the game with 2:42 left to put TJC up 85-77. Paris never got closer than seven after that.

"I thought the difference in the game was that (TJC) had 18 turnovers and we had 32 turnovers," said Paris coach Ross Hodge. "There were just some careless turnovers, a travel or throwing it away. But the ones (TJC) initiated, you've got to credit their defense for that."

Playing without Joseph Fulce (17 points), who fouled out with 3:51 to play in overtime, co-star Butler maintained his high level of play. Butler answered two Paris free throws with a scoring drive and then converted on a nifty up-and-under move under the glass after a Paris turnover.

After a poorly played first half, and a 30-30 tie, the offensive execution on both sides improved in the second half.

"In the first half, both teams threw that ball all over the lot and that kind of happens when you get emotional for a big game," Marquis said. "The ball feels a little lighter and goes a little faster. The first half was just a battle of wills for a while. Then the second half was a lot better game."

Paris led by as much as eight as late as the 14-minute mark. Vanderbeken, a 6-10 sophomore, scored on back-to-back plays to stem the Dragons' momentum. His running baseline dunk brought the crowd to its feet with 13:25 to play.

"I thought we were teetering a little bit maybe down eight ... ," Marquis said. "I thought Jamie's dunk was a big momentum play."

The Apaches finally caught up, 60-60, with 6:44 left as a Fulce 3-pointer kicked off a 16-6 run.

TJC lost that seven-point lead in the final 2:42, but Randall Hampton made two clutch free throws to put the Apaches ahead by two with 19.6 on the clock. Hampton finished with 12 points and seven assists.

The Dragons, who have won 32 straight home games, were led by post players Charles Funches and Tramiel with a combined 34 points and 17 rebounds.

The Apaches made nine 3-pointers to the Dragons' seven and outscored Paris by five at the foul line.

"It was a really good game for Tyler and Paris, a good game for the NJCAA," Hodge said. "You had two teams in the top 15 by rankings, maybe two of the best teams in the country, period.

"It was a great crowd, a great environment and it came down to the wire."

There's a chance these teams could meet for a third time - in the championship game of the Region XIV Tournament next month in Kilgore.

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No. 10 Tyler 93, No. 13 Paris 82, OT

PARIS - Mike Smith, 2; James Livingston, 3; Raymond Sims, 12; Courtney Waters, 8; Ronnie Morgan, 6; DeCarlos Riley, 7; Eric Tramiel, 15; Charles Funches, 19; Marcus Carson, 10. FG 30-74 FT 15-23.

TYLER - Tyler Jefferson, 0; Reggie Nelson, 0; William Kossangue, 8; Alan Branch, 6; Randall Hampton, 12; Jamie Vanderbeken, 15; Malcolm Thomas, 11; Chris Williams, 0; Joseph Fulce, 17; Jimmy Butler, 24. FG 32-72 FT 20-28.

THREE-POINT GOALS - PJC (7-14): Livingston, Sims, Waters (2), Riley, Carson (2); TJC (9-28): Kossangue, Branch (2), Hampton (2), Thomas, Fulce (3).

HALFTIME SCORE - 30-30.

REGULATION - 75-75.

TURNOVERS - PJC: 32; TJC: 18.

RECORDS - Paris, 22-3 (14-3); Tyler, 22-1 (16-1).

NEXT UP - San Jacinto at Paris, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday; Tyler at Blinn, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

EST. ATT. -2,000.