Muhlenberg falls to Cedar Cliff in final seconds in District 3 Class 6A boys basketball opener

CAMP HILL — Jarrett Jackson thought he won the game Tuesday night with his 3-pointer from the top of the key with 23 seconds left.

The senior guard thought he and his Muhlenberg teammates would be celebrating in the locker room instead of shedding tears.

“These are my brothers,” Jackson said. “This is what we’ve been doing all season. To lose like that just hurts. To not be able to play high school basketball again just hurts.”

Tyler Houser made two free throws with 5.9 seconds to go to lift fifth-seeded Cedar Cliff over 12th-seeded Muhlenberg 55-54 in a thrilling District 3 Class 6A first-round boys basketball game.

The 6-9 Houser went to the line after a disputed reach-in foul on Muhls star Edwin Suarez just inside the free throw line.

“There are less than 10 seconds left in the game,” emotional Muhlenberg coach Matt Flowers said. “You allow the kids to determine it. Our kids fought all game. Cedar Cliff played a hell of a game. I’m not taking anything away from them.

“But with 5.9 seconds left in the game, you have to allow the kids to determine the outcome, not a grown adult.”

Inside the Muhlenberg locker room, Flowers mentioned the word “fight” multiple times as he talked to his players (18-7), many of them inconsolable.

Their toughness and resilience, which will be remembered as their trademark, was never more evident than on Tuesday night.

Suarez, who was averaging 19.0 points a game, scored eight points in the first 10 minutes before he sat with his third foul until the middle of the third quarter. He finished with 13 points.

Yet his teammates made sure they picked him up, staying within striking distance of the Mid-Penn Conference champion Colts (20-4) until he returned.

Jackson scored 13 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve been doing it all season,” Jackson said. “We just keep fighting till the end, like Coach says. He says it every day. Just fight. Just fight. That’s what we’re building here.”

“I’m very proud of them,” Flowers said. “They could have quit.”

Muhlenberg trailed 33-25 at the break and cut it to five on Josh Alcantara’s 3-pointer early in the third. But Cedar Cliff remained ahead with the help of Houser, who finished with 25 points, and Ayden Frey, who had 10 points.

Houser made two free throws with 1:26 left to give the Colts a 53-46 lead in front of a loud capacity crowd. But the Muhls were far from done.

Tashiro Alexis made a 3 and Luis Valentin made a floater to make it 53-51 after Cedar Cliff’s Charlie Werner missed the front end of a one-and-one.

Then after Colts coach Tigh Savercool called a timeout to avoid a five-second call, Cedar Cliff did turn it over. Jackson then buried the go-ahead 3.

Seconds later, with the Muhls pressuring the Colts, Suarez was whistled for his fifth foul, sending Houser to the line.

Here’s the fifth foul on Muhlenberg’s Edwin Suarez. Led to game-winning free throws by Tyler Houser for Cedar Cliff. ⁦@PAVEBasketball⁩ ⁦@MuhlsAthletics⁩ #berksgameday pic.twitter.com/WztfAvzeAT

— Richard Scarcella (@nittanyrich) February 23, 2022

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“I thought we got a steal and then I saw the ref just call a foul,” Jackson said. “My heart just dropped. I thought we won the game with that shot.”

Houser, who’s headed to VMI, stepped to the line confidently and made them both. He has made game-winning free throws several times this season.

“We knew we were in for a fight,” said Savercool, the former Tulpehocken coach. “Tyler’s a senior. He puts in the time for these moments. He’s there when we need him. He rises to the occasion.”

Suarez, on the other hand, sobbed in the locker room afterwards, like several of his teammates, knowing his high school career was over.

Flowers struggled to find the words as he addressed his players.

“They didn’t quit,” he said. “They kept fighting. They kept believing that we were going to win this game. We were right there. We fought the whole game. They worked their tails off in the second half.

“I hurt for our seniors. Some may have played their last game in their careers.”

Source: Berkshire mont