SAINT JOHN, N.B. — The Saint John Mill Rats suffered a down-to-the-wire loss against Summerside Storm 108-107 at Harbour Station Thursday night and are still winless in their National Basketball League of Canada season at 0-3. With just 5.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter Summerside’s Jessan Gray nailed a three-pointer to knot the game at 97, silencing a roaring energetic crowd and sending the tilt into overtime.
Both teams went into extra time with plenty of energy but missed late free throws by Marc Egerson and Anthony Anderson, who otherwise played strong games, proved costly.
Conversely the Storm’s Chris Cayole nailed two free throws late to put the final nail in the Mill Rats' coffin. The Mill Rats were unable to hit the late three. Down by four, Anderson, who scored a team high 25 points, hit a three pointer at the end of regulation but it was too little too late.
“It’s frustrating,” said Anderson. “I missed a lot of shots. We all did. But I put a lot on my shoulders. It’s a really tough loss. We just have to bounce back.”
Mill Rats head coach, Jared Jackson, who spent much of the game pacing up and down the sidelines, lost his temper on occasion with his team’s sometimes careless play.
“It’s a tough loss,” said Jackson. “We played much better tonight. These guys competed really hard. We came out on the losing end of a tough battle. Summerside’s a very good team.”
Despite playing a largely solid defensive game, the hometown squad struggled to contain Summerside’s quickness and their newly acquired 7-foot-2-inch centre Jared Carter, who, with four straight baskets late in the fourth, kept the visitors in it.
Carter finished with 21 points. Summerside’s Mike Williams led all scorers with 26 points.
The Mill Rats came out firing early and were able to stake a 15-4 lead, but the deficit was short lived after the Storm knotted the game thanks to an 11-0 run.
Even with the loss, the Port City squad led a fine offensive showing with five players reaching double digits in scoring.
With just 5.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter Summerside’s Jessan Gray nailed a three-pointer to knot the game at 97, silencing a roaring energetic crowd and sending the tilt into overtime.
Both teams went into extra time with plenty of energy but missed late free throws by Marc Egerson and Anthony Anderson, who otherwise played strong games, proved costly.
Conversely the Storm’s Chris Cayole nailed two free throws late to put the final nail in the Mill Rats' coffin. The Mill Rats were unable to hit the late three. Down by four, Anderson, who scored a team high 25 points, hit a three pointer at the end of regulation but it was too little too late.
“It’s frustrating,” said Anderson. “I missed a lot of shots. We all did. But I put a lot on my shoulders. It’s a really tough loss. We just have to bounce back.”
Mill Rats head coach, Jared Jackson, who spent much of the game pacing up and down the sidelines, lost his temper on occasion with his team’s sometimes careless play.
“It’s a tough loss,” said Jackson. “We played much better tonight. These guys competed really hard. We came out on the losing end of a tough battle. Summerside’s a very good team.”
Despite playing a largely solid defensive game, the hometown squad struggled to contain Summerside’s quickness and their newly acquired 7-foot-2-inch centre Jared Carter, who, with four straight baskets late in the fourth, kept the visitors in it.
Carter finished with 21 points. Summerside’s Mike Williams led all scorers with 26 points.
The Mill Rats came out firing early and were able to stake a 15-4 lead, but the deficit was short lived after the Storm knotted the game thanks to an 11-0 run.
Even with the loss, the Port City squad led a fine offensive showing with five players reaching double digits in scoring.
Andrew Rankin/Telegraph-Journal
