This past Saturday afternoon saw the 10th-ranked Hopkins Blue Jays battle the ninth-ranked Dickinson Red Devils down to the wire in a thrilling contest. Each team traded runs throughout the game, but neither could gain enough distance to establish a safe lead.
The game constantly went back and forth, with Hopkins taking an early lead thanks to junior guard Austin Vasiliadis and senior forward George Bugarinovic.
However, the game would live up to its billing as a heavyweight matchup between the two top teams in the Centennial Conference, with major tournament implications.
Ryan Curran, a sophomore forward for the Jays, contributed an early layup and three-pointer. After the Red Devils cut the lead to one, a three from sophomore guard Nikhil Panu and a layup from Burgarinovic pushed the Blue Jay lead to six points with 12:37 to play in the half.
The game stood tied at many moments and had a significant number of lead changes, but Hopkins was able to secure a 32-28 lead going into halftime.
After the halftime break, the Red Devils came out of the gates undaunted by the minor lead, hitting a three-pointer and a layup right off the bat.
Hopkins went on a brief scoring drought for about six minutes until senior guard Omar Randall hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 35 after Dickinson had hit two free throws on the previous possession.
The remainder of the game was a period of constant scoring and lead changes as the teams went back and forth in an attempt to gain victory.
Over the final 12 minutes, there were seven lead changes and five ties, and neither team could build more than a three-point lead, a fitting finish for a game between two of the top teams in the country.
Finally, in the last 23 seconds of the game with the score tied 57 apiece, Hopkins had a chance to give themselves a much needed lead.
But the ball did not bounce their way. Dickinson forced a turnover and pushed down to the other end of the court.
With the game still tied, the Jays rushed to try to take the ball back and subsequently fouled Dickinson’s Brandon Angradi on a three-point shot with only 2.4 seconds left to play. Although Hopkins held onto hope as Angradi missed the first foul shot, he went on to hit the final two to give Dickinson a two-point lead.
Hopkins had one chance remaining but could not convert on a last second three-pointer from junior Gene Williams and fell to the Red Devils 59-57.
This loss sent Hopkins to 20-3 overall and 14-2 in the Centennial Conference, while the Red Devils move to 19-4 on the season and 12-4 in conference play.
The Jays were a bit disappointed about the outcome of the marquee matchup on Saturday, which they lost despite leading for over 29 minutes of game time. Nonetheless, Hopkins looked back on the game as a learning experience.
“I think we could have pulled out a win on Saturday if we were able to get good shots in key situations,” Jimmy Hammer, a senior guard, said. “Putting those two together could have propelled us to a victory.”
Bugarnovic led all scorers in the game with 22 points and 10 rebounds, good for his fifth double-double of the season. Curran chipped in 10 points, and Williams added 7, while Vasiliadis dished out four assists for the Jays.
Meanwhile, Dickinson’s Gerry Wixted paced the Red Devils with a solid 21-point effort, while Ted Hinnenkamp added 12 points.
“Heading into postseason play, the one thing we need to work on is our rebounding,” Hammer said. “Keeping other teams off the offensive boards is especially important. Holding teams to one shot in a possession will be crucial in the postseason.”
Saturday’s loss snapped the program-record 17-game win streak for the Jays, but Hopkins remains in control of the race for the regular season Centennial Conference title with the season winding down, and the team remains confident in their chances.
“The strongest aspect of our team is how well we play together,” Hammer said. “We are always finding the open man or helping each other on defense. Everybody is so selfless, and I think that is why we have been able to succeed.”
