Park View Gets Win at Last Minute

Mulabah Draws Foul, Sinks Two to Clinch It

By Paul Tenorio

Saturday, December 22, 2007

This time, Park View made its final possession against Heritage count.

Patriots senior forward Thomas Mulabah, who sat out the entire first half for what Coach Jeff Schneider called a minor team infraction, got the ball with Park View trailing by one with three seconds left. He spun to shoot and was fouled.

The shot went in, but the referee ruled the foul occurred on the floor and Mulabah stepped to the line with a one-and-one situation. The 6-foot-2 senior hit both, giving Park View a 55-54 road victory to send them into the holiday break undefeated in AA Dulles District play.

“We shoot about 100 free throws after practice every day, so I felt like I had to make them,” Mulabah said. “It felt pretty good [to make them], it felt pretty good.”

Last season Park View traveled to Heritage with a shot at winning a share of the district title. Those hopes were dashed when Heritage guard D.J. Summers rose up with fewer than 30 seconds left and made a shot, downing Park View, 68-67.

For Mulabah to be the hero after breaking a team rule and forcing his team to play without him was not lost on the Patriots (5-2, 2-0). And Schneider said he was mostly proud that his team was able to compete with one of the top teams in the district without their star.

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Patriots Pull Out Win

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In the third period with 3.4 seconds on the clock, Park View's No. 54 Thomas Mulabah goes up and under Heritage's No. 44 Preston Findley. Findley drew the foul and Mulabah went to the free throw line. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Both teams fight for the rebound. From left, Heritage's No. 31 Devon Alcala, Park View's No. 52 Kenny Smith and Heritage's No. 21 Kyle Nelson. Nelson comes up with the ball in the second period with 2:57 on the clock. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Park View's No. 20 Marcus Freeman goes under the basket for two points. On defense for Heritage is No. 10 Michael Massey. This is first period action with 1:38 on the clock. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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In the third period with 6:14 on the clock, Park View's No. 10 CJ Leizear is ejected from the game. Here, he walks off the court past Heritage fans. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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“It’s hard to say that he won the game for us,” Schneider said. “I think everybody out there that picked up the slack when he wasn’t in there, everyone that played hard for the entire game contributed to that win.”

With Mulabah out, the Patriots relied on guard Marcus Freeman to step into more of a scorer’s role, especially because Heritage was suffocating Park View inside defensively. Pride senior Preston Findley was especially effective on both ends of the court and led Heritage (2-3, 1-1) with 23 points.

Findley’s play, combined with the strong play of seniors Chris Broderick and Michael Massey, helped pace much of the game for Heritage. But Freeman (23 points) and senior Brett Dufford (13 points) kept Park View in the contest.

“I don’t mind putting this team on my back,” Freeman said. “I know I have to play hard, and when [Mulabah] comes in we just have to work together.”

Findley hit a three-pointer with under a minute left to give the Pride a 54-51 lead. But a technical foul was called on Heritage with 23 seconds left, and Freeman made free throws to pull Park View to within one with possession. The Patriots then milked the clock and got the ball to Mulabah on the deciding play. The senior made his limited playing time count.

Notes: Park View senior C.J. Leizear was ejected from the game for a flagrant foul early in the second half. . . .

Massey had 13 points for Heritage, and Broderick contributed 10 points.

Tagged: basketball, Heritage High School, Park View High School

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