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1/21/06

GlenOak guts one out

McCollum caps comeback against Perry with winning basket in final seconds, leads with 27 points

By David Lee Morgan Jr.

Beacon Journal sportswriter

PLAIN TOWNSHIP - It was nothing but guts.
That's the only way to describe the way GlenOak rallied from an eight-point deficit at home Friday night against Perry with 1:45 left in the game to win 51-50.
The game-winner came from 6-foot-2 senior guard Errick McCollum. He finished with a game-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but the basket that meant the most was his soft jumper from the right baseline with 4.5 seconds left, giving the Golden Eagles a one-point lead.
``The kids really did their job,'' GlenOak coach Jackie Greynolds Jr. said. ``It was a great win and we were fortunate to put ourselves in a position to win at the end.''
After McCollum's basket, Perry took a timeout, and when play resumed, the Panthers (8-3, 5-1 in the Federal League) couldn't get off a decent shot.
``I've never seen fans run onto the court like that, except in a college game on TV,'' McCollum said. ``Somebody picked me up and started carrying me. It was amazing. This is the biggest win I've ever experienced.''
The Golden Eagles (9-3, 5-1) had so many factors against them.
Kosta Koufos, a 7-foot-1 junior center who is averaging 24.6 points and 13.5 rebounds (29 points and 15 rebounds in his past three games), was sitting on the bench with a broken foot. He injured it in practice Thursday and is expected to be out from four to six weeks.
``This is the most wonderful team I've been around,'' said Koufos, who already has scholarship offers from Ohio State and Louisville. Schools such as Maryland, North Carolina, Connecticut are also on the top of his recruiting list. In fact, assistant coaches from North Carolina and UConn attended the game, not knowing that Koufos was injured.
``These guys dedicated the game to me, and they are my heroes.''
Friday night's game was supposed to feature Koufos against Perry's talented 6-11 sophomore center Kenny Frease.
With Koufos out, Frease was nearly unstoppable inside, finishing with 23 points.
With GlenOak's big man out, the rest of the team had to step up. On the perimeter, Mark Quinn, Mark Moore and Jon Miller helped McCollum carry the load, and underneath, senior Nate West (nine points) and Brian Powell did what they could against Frease.
West was playing with a broken finger on his right (shooting) hand, and every time he took a shot, he grimaced with pain, which was noticeable when he shot from the free-throw line.
He didn't make any excuses and sank 9-of-10, including two with 41.8 seconds left that tied the score at 49-49.
``I broke it on our first possession against Massillon on Tuesday,'' West said.
``Even (Thursday) night, it was aggravating me when I was trying to sleep. But when I came to school the next day and found out that Kosta wasn't playing, I knew I had to suck it up.''
Perry coach Rob Toth said the game came down to determination.
``It was gut-check time and we didn't finish,'' Toth said. ``That's what's disappointing. But give McCollum credit. He made the shot when they needed it. He wanted it in his hands

Perry's Kenny Frease tries to score in front of GlenOak's Nate West (#15) and #5 Mark Quinn (#5) at GlenOak High School Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 in North Canton, Ohio. (Akron Beacon Journal/Jocelyn Williams)



GlenOak's seven-foot 1-inch tall Kosta Koufos talks with teammate Nate West during a timeout in his team's game against Perry High School at GlenOak High School Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 in North Canton, Ohio. (Akron Beacon Journal/Jocelyn Williams)



Perry's Geoff Marsh tries to drive around GlenOak's Mark Quinn at GlenOak High School Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 in North Canton, Ohio. (Akron Beacon Journal/Jocelyn Williams)