Boys Basketball: Matisse Williams finishes strong as Elyria Catholic beats Amherst at end

ELYRIA — Matisse Williams knew he needed to step up. The 6-foot-3 junior guard for Elyria Catholic was held scoreless in the first half of the Panthers' thrilling 69-66 victory over Amherst on Friday night at The Coliseum.Williams went coast-to-coast and around three Comets for a layin and a 68-66 lead with 6.4 seconds left, setting off a festive celebration when it was over on Bob Guinta Court.The Panthers are 3-0, the Comets 2-1.The acrobatic layin capped a 15-point half for Williams, who had time to self-reflect at halftime."I said to myself, this is not cutting it," Williams said. "I'm not getting any points, I'm not playing defense, I'm not grabbing rebounds. I just gotta come out here and do something. I'm happy I contributed in every way."The fourth quarter was full of ups and downs as Amherst went on an 8-0 run to take a 58-50 lead with 4:20 left, prompting an Elyria Catholic timeout. Five quick points from 6-3 sophomore Jazear Terry made it 60-55 and a basket and foul shot from 6-0 junior Kingston Daniels tied the score at 60 after a wild sequence saw an Andrew Balicky shot blocked at the other end. Terry finished tied with Williams for team scoring honors with 15.Amherst's Jack Coleman (game-high 25 points) stuck a stepback jumper with 1:40 left to give the Comets a 64-62 lead. After two free throws by Purvie Smallwood III tied it, an errant pass by Coleman was stolen by Terry, who went the length of the floor for a 66-64 lead with 45 seconds left. A basket by Amherst's 6-7 Gavin Beckler tied it at 66 before Williams took center stage with his winning basket."It wasn't pretty," Elyria Catholic coach Jason Smith said. "Sloppy game. Amherst was phenomenal at that full-court trap, half-court trap. Our guys were flustered with it. Fourteen turnovers I think in the first half and we were down by one."So the worst we've played in any practice, any game, any scrimmage and we're down one. So we could have hung our heads, we could have quit, playing bad, and they didn't. They kept clawing back, clawing back and we found a way to win."The first half was up-and-down, high-tempo and at times chaotic as both teams pressured in the full court. Amherst's trapping defense forced 14 turnovers and put the Panthers down 29-28 at halftime. Amherst attempted 14 free throws in the first half as Coleman led them with 14 points. After being down 7-0 to start the game, Elyria Catholic hit Amherst with a 22-6 run to lead 22-13 before Amherst crawled back in it. Seven points from 6-0 junior Donovan Shumpert to start the second quarter helped give the Panthers that 22-13 advantage.For Elyria Catholic, it could prove to be a signature win for Smith and his team after a struggle last year in his first on the job."We had to change up our offense in the second half," he said. "What we were trying to do was not working because of the traps. Our guys responded extremely well, and in that fourth quarter they didn't quit. "We talk about resilience and fighting the odds, things are not going to go our way every time. This is high school basketball, it's how it works. So to see them come out and play that way in the fourth quarter specifically, I couldn't be more proud of them." Elyria Catholic will stay home and host Bellevue tonight.For the Comets, they'll regroup and get ready for Southwestern Conference play in a week. "Just making plays at the big moments, we didn't make those plays," coach Pat Bray said. "We talk about it, it's a good test for us because we got Berea next Friday and it's going to be the same kind of game."Elyria Catholic 69, Amherst 66 Amherst (66): Jack Coleman 9-6-25, Cole Scanlon 1-0-3, David Dudziak 1-0-2, Stanley Robinson 2-1-7, Cy Christensen 1-3-5, Mason Lymer 6-3-18, Andrew Balicky 2-0-4, Gavin Beckler 1-0-2. Totals 23-13-66. Elyria Catholic (69): Dominique Stamper 1-0-3, Jazear Terry 5-4-15, Purvie Smallwood III 3-3-10, Matisse Williams 5-2-15, Donovan Shumpert 5-0-11, Kingston Daniels 2-2-6, Jaseer McElyra 0-0-0, Ben Essenmacher 1-3-6, Robbie Duray 1-0-3. Totals 23-14-69.Amherst 13 16 17 20 — 66Elyria Catholic 12 16 17 24 — 69Three-Point Goals: Amherst 7 (Lymer 3, Coleman 1, Scanlon 1, Robinson 2), Elyria Catholic 9 (Williams 3, Stamper 1, Terry 1, Smallwood 1, Shumpert 1, Essenmacher 1, Duray 1). Field goals: Amherst 23-61 (38 percent), Elyria Catholic 23-49 (47 percent) Free throws: Amherst 13-24, Elyria Catholic 12-16. Rebounds: Amherst 28, Elyria Catholic 23. Turnovers: Elyria Catholic 24, Amherst 18 Team fouls: Amherst 16, Elyria Catholic 21.Junior varsity: Elyria Catholic, 59-46.