Paige explodes for 46 as Lions nip Hawks, 68-67
Marcus Paige performed like a Hall of Famer on Hall of Fame night at Linn-Mar High School Friday.
First ballot. Unanimous. No reason to delay. Induct him right now. Don't wait until he's in the NBA.
Paige poured in a school-record 46 points as the Lions dug themselves out of a 20-point hole and nudged Cedar Rapids Prairie, 68-67, in a sensational high school basketball game.
Paige was absolutely terrific and may have clinched the Mr. Basketball award for 2012, but Prairie had a chance to win the game with three-tenths of a second left on the clock.
That's how little time was left when Prairie star Matt MacDougall stepped to the foul line with a one-and-one bonus opportunity. He could have tied the game with one free throw and won it with another, but his first shot was long and slightly to the left.
MacDougall didn't get another chance and No. 3 Linn-Mar (11-2, 7-2) escaped with its ninth straight win.
Paige snapped a 67-67 tie with one free throw with 6.8 seconds left for his 46th point, but he missed his second free throw to give Prairie a final chance at victory.
"I was so mad at myself for missing that free throw," said Paige. "I'm just thankful he missed. I don't think I would have been able to sleep if he had made those."
Paige snapped the school record of 45 points set by Jason Bohannon during the 2005-06 campaign. As it turned out, the Lions needed every one of those 46 points to beat Prairie.
The Hawks blasted to a 26-6 advantage in the first half with a 17-0 run and led 35-18 at intermission.
"Give Prairie credit," said Linn-Mar Coach Chris Robertson. "They came out and punched us in the mouth right away and kept punching."
MacDougall gave the Hawks a 43-25 lead with two of his 27 points midway through the third quarter, but then Paige simply took control of the game from there. He scored seven points in 19 seconds and poured in 11 points in 38 seconds, thanks partially to a technical foul on Prairie Coach James Moses.
Paige scored 18 points in the third quarter, then duplicated the feat in the fourth period with 18 more. He scored 10 points in the first half, then amassed 36 points in 16 minutes in the second half.
He made six 3-pointers during the onslaught and slipped in a few gorgeous assists along the way.
"I just thought I needed to provide some sort of spark in the second half," he said. "I started making shots, and I think everybody else got more confidence because of that.
"After about the second 3-pointer, I felt that I had really found my stroke. I knew that we were going to need it in order to climb back into this game."
MacDougall was sensational in the second half as well, tossing in 25 after missing much of the first half with two early fouls. He almost matched Paige shot for shot, and it all came down to his trip to the foul line with three-tenths of a second to go.
Moses thought MacDougall was in the act of shooting and should have received two free throws, but the officials did not agree. That sent MacDougall, an excellent foul shooter at 81.8 percent, to the line with the outcome hanging in the balance.
MacDougall appeared stunned when his first free throw bounced off the rim and the buzzer sounded. Moses tried to console him in the somber locker room.
"All we try to do is have a short-term memory," said Moses. "He's the one who got us in the game. He's the one who kept us right there."
Moses was unhappy with the loss and especially unhappy with the officiating. The referees called 25 fouls on Prairie and only 10 on Linn-Mar.
"If you look at the foul discrepancy, we couldn't be that much more physical than Linn-Mar," he said. "It's tough when my kids fight and fight and go as hard as they do, to play as clean and be as professional as we can, and to allow the referees to take the game from us. I have a hard time with that, and it's tough to swallow."
Linn-Mar made 18 of 31 free throws, compared to 7 of 9 for Prairie.
Linn-Mar inducted 12 new members into its Hall of Fame before the game, but Prairie played like all-stars for much of the first half while the Lions struggled.
"It was a disappointing first half for us," said Paige, who has signed with North Carolina. "Prairie came out absolutely phenomenal and really showed us, when you don't come ready to play that's what can happen."
Paige raised his scoring average from 26.2 points to 27.7 with his 46-point outburst.
"When he's feeling it, you just kind of let him go a little bit when you've got a player like that," said Robertson, who credits Paige with giving the rest of the Lions the confidence they needed to win the ballgame.
"That's the message he was sending to our guys: We're going to get this. When he's calm and confident, it makes everyone else around him that way," said Robertson. "He's special."
A few years from now, Paige will return to Linn-Mar and take his place in the Hall of Fame. "I'm pretty sure he's a lock," Robertson said with a smile.
Moses paid his respects to Paige as well. "He looked good," said Moses. "I wish we could get half the calls he gets, though."
Derik Gogg collected 13 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots for Linn-Mar. Andy Henry contributed eight rebounds, six points and five steals.
Jacob Aune scored 13 points for Prairie (6-9, 2-8). Thomas Eilers scored 12 points with four 3-pointers.
PRAIRIE (67): Aune 6 0-0 13, Harper 1 0-0 2, Hanna 2 0-0 5, MacDougall 11 5-7 27, Eilers 4 0-0 12, Kehoe 0 2-2 2, Rasmussen 1 0-0 2, Smith 0 0-0 0, Meeker 1 0-0 2, Simpson 1 0-0 2, Adams 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 7-9 67.
LINN-MAR (68): Henry 2 2-7 6, Martins 0 0-0 0, Gogg 4 5-8 13, Roth 1 0-0 2, Paige 15 10-12 46, Meier 0 1-4 1, Dick 0 0-0 0, Schlotterback 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 18-31 68.
Halftime - Prairie 35, Linn-Mar 18. 3-point goals - Prairie 6 (Eilers 4, Aune 1, Hanna 1), Linn-Mar 6 (Paige 6).
