Malko scores career-high 30 points in loss
By: Rudy Brandl
Mike Malko and his Hillsborough High teammates walked off their home basketball court in disbelief after Saturday afternoon’s heart-breaking loss to Franklin.
It was an all-too-familiar feeling for the Raiders, who squandered another late lead against their county and conference rivals. Hillsborough seemed to have this one in the bag but Franklin staged another amazing rally and eventually coasted to a 71-61 victory in overtime.
Malko had done everything he could to help his team win the game before fouling out with 19.4 seconds remaining in regulation. The senior power forward was unstoppable and dominant, posting a career-high 30 points and 13 rebounds. Unfortunately, neither number was enough to reverse Hillsborough’s bad fortune against the Warriors.
"I scored a lot but it means nothing because we lost," Malko said afterward. "We played really well. It was just a tough game."
HHS rookie head coach Ian Progin couldn’t believe his team let another game slip away. It wasn’t quite as brutal as last year’s Somerset County Tournament semifinal game where the Raiders blew an 11-point lead in the final four minutes. But this one stung quite a bit.
"We had it," Progin said. "It was turnovers again. We only had five in the first half but 12 in the second half. We shot 16-of-23 from the foul line. If we make one more free throw, we win the game."
The final moments of regulation featured as much drama as any high school sporting event can produce. Franklin held a 51-49 lead with just under three minutes to play but the Raiders stormed back. Point guard Brandon Shamy made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a layup to tie the score. Shamy was fouled on the play and hit the ensuing free throw to complete a 3-point play and give the Raiders a 52-51 lead with 2:32 remaining.
Malko picked up his fourth foul on Franklin’s next offensive trip, which resulted in two Kurt Dunbar free throws and a 53-52 Warrior advantage. The Raiders couldn’t tie the game but got the ball back after Shamy made his second big steal within a one-minute span.
The Raiders regained the lead at 54-53 after junior forward Mark Demetriou made a remarkable play to keep alive an offensive rebound. Demetriou tapped it back to Malko, who charged in for the go-ahead layup with 1:12 to play.
Franklin committed a careless turnover on its next possession and HHS spread the floor looking to milk the clock. Malko calmly swished a pair of free throws to give the Raiders a 56-53 lead with 28.4 seconds remaining.
The Warriors countered quickly with Desmond Bryant hitting a jumper from the left wing to cut the deficit back down to one with 19.9 seconds left. The next sequence was critical to the game’s outcome.
Malko attempted a bounce pass on the inbound play but the ball trickled off Lamont Heading’s foot. The officials didn’t call a kick, so Heading picked up the loose ball under the hoop and missed a shot. Bryant grabbed the rebound and was fouled by Malko, which sent the HHS star to the bench.
"I knew I had four fouls but I didn’t think I fouled him," Malko said. "I guess he kicked (the ball) but you never know. The refs miss some things sometimes. It was a tough break for us."
Although Bryant missed the front end of the 1-and-1 to give possession back to the Raiders, he’d come back to burn the home team later on. T.J. Sferra nailed two free throws to make it 58-55 with 17.6 seconds to play, but Bryant drilled a three with six seconds left to send the game into overtime. Charles Miller had an open look from deep on the right wing but his shot caromed off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounded.
Leading by three, the Raiders elected to play a straight man-to-man defense rather than foul and send the Warriors to the free throw line. Bryant simply hit a tough shot with a hand in his face for the second time in the final 20 seconds.
"We just wanted to play tight and guard the 3-point line," Progin said. "Brandon (Shamy) was guarding him well and he made a college three. You can’t ask him to do anything more."
Franklin, which was surprisingly quiet on the boards in the first three quarters, dominated the glass late in regulation and throughout the overtime. With Malko on the bench, the Raiders were undersized in the paint and Franklin took advantage. The Warriors scored the first nine points in overtime and put the game away.
"I still believed we could win the game in overtime," Progin said. "I have confidence in our players. I thought we could do it if we boxed out but they went in and got the rebounds. I thought we could run our spread and drive on the guards, but we continued to turn the ball over."
The Raiders probably lost this game midway through the fourth period when they blew a 49-41 lead. They had made such a spectacular run late in the third period to take the lead.
HHS scored the final nine points of the third quarter and first five of the fourth, with Malko netting seven during the surge, to turn a six-point deficit into an eight-point lead. Malko was drilling threes, making power moves and hitting his free throws.
"Mike can do just about everything," Progin said. "That’s what makes him such a special player."
Franklin started its comeback after Malko’s left wing jumper with 6:28 produced a 49-41 lead. The Raiders didn’t score again until Shamy’s three-point play almost four minutes later. In the meantime, the Warriors had scratched and clawed their way back into the game.
"They have a tough press," Malko said. "We just needed to calm down and run our stuff. Turnovers lost the game for us. We should have won this game."