Big 4th Quarter Lifts Regis Past Legend
When the Regis Jesuit Raiders hosted the Legend Titans Friday night for a Continental League showdown it lived up to its billing. This is what league games are all about: packed house, great students sections, intensity, tough defense, and big plays. If it wasn’t for the play of 6’9 senior forward Marc Reininger, Regis would have been in trouble. If it wasn’t for the plays of Legends 6’6 senior wing Danny Garrick, Legend would have had problems scoring. It was a Continental classic with Regis taking the victory, 53-50.
The first quarter both teams played great man to man defense. Getting over screens, talking and closing out strong limiting open shots. It was clear that if either team was going to score they would have to do so with a hand in their face. Reininger got the Raiders on the board first with a nice post move. Baskets were hard to come by as it was 8-6 with 2:15 left in the quarter after Garrick hit his first 3 pointer of the night to give Legend the lead. Garrick then scored off a offensive rebound but that was quickly answered by a 3 pointer from Raider senior Quinn Ritzdorf. Regis gained the lead off this play by Reininger in the final minute of play.
The Raiders took an 11-10 lead into the second quarter in which both teams again locked up on defense. It was even harder to come by points in the second quarter after five straight points by Legend’s junior guard Blake Fields force Regis to call a time out with 5:45 left in the quarter. Offensive rebounds could not be gather be either team and neither team could get out in transition. Both teams combined to score 16 points in the quarter. Legend took a 19-18 lead into half time.
After halftime the scoring picked up for both teams in the forms of 3-pointers. In a wild exchange after Regis’s senior forward Gage Dwyer scored three points to give the Raiders a 21-19, both teams combined for six straight possessions of 3 pointers or 3 point plays. Four of those possessions were 3 pointers by the Titans: two more by Garrick and two from senior wing Jared Small. Michael Wambsganss hit his first three pointer of the night between Small’s three’s and Reininger ended the action with an old fashioned three point play. Legend held 31-27 lead after the scoring flurry. Elijah Martinez and Geoff Kelly scored back to back baskets for the Riades to cut the Titans lead to 32-31. Riley Matticks answered with two free throws for Legend to end the third quarter scoring and give the Titans a 34-31.
The fourth quarter was back and fourth with each team hitting bug shots with a hand in their face. Garrick hit a 3 pointer to start the fourth quarter and give Legend their largest lead of the game 37-31. However junior guard Connor Hobbs who had be relatively quite most of the game started to heat up along with Wambsganss. Wambsganss scored 10 points in the final quarter including seven straight to tie the game at 47 with 3:02 left in the game. But Garrick answered for the Titans hitting his seventh 3-pointer of the game with just under three minutes left giving the Titans a 50-47 lead. Hobbs hit a contested 3-pointer to tie the game at 50 with 2:20 left in the game. After Legend came up empty on its next possession, Regis got the ball off the miss
The two made free throws by Hobbs with 13 seconds left gave Regis the lead and it was only appropriate that Reininger got the rebound off the Legend missed and sank one of two free throws to end the game.
Double Digit Scorers
Regis
Wambsganss 15
Reininger 17
Legend
Garrick 23
