By JEREMY HALL

jeremy.hall@register-news.com

CENTRALIA -- The gymnasium at Centralia High School has not been kind to Mt. Vernon as of late.

Since winning a sectional tournament at the gym in 2008 and making it to the semifinals of last year's Centralia Holiday Tournament, the Rams have lost five consecutive games played on the Orphans' home court.

The latest defeat was a bitter pill, coming Monday in a game Mt. Vernon led nearly the entire way before losing down the stretch. The Rams led Champaign Central by 17 points with less than two minutes remaining in the third quarter before falling 55-53 to the Maroons in the first round of the Centralia Holiday Tournament.

"It's tough," said Mt. Vernon coach Scott Gamber, whose team evened its season record at 5-5. "We play here a lot."

The Rams' last win at Centralia came against Champaign Central in the second round of last year's Centralia Holiday Tournament. In that game, the Rams won running away. On Monday, the Maroons did not go away, applying pressure to the tune of 22 Mt. Vernon turnovers, including a dozen in the decisive second half.

The Rams took control of the game early on Monday, sprinting ahead 27-13

by halftime and 36-19 with 1 minute 44 seconds left in the third quarter.

The wheels fell off after that, however, as Central closed to within 38-32 by the end of the third period and meticulously completed the rally in the fourth.

The Maroons knotted the score at 51 apiece on a Jay Simpson basket with 58 seconds left in the game. Less than 10 seconds later, Central took its first lead of the game since scoring the first point of the contest in the first quarter, as an Isaiah Clasberry free throw gave the Maroons a 52-51 lead.

Central made three of four free throws the rest of the way, while Mt. Vernon managed just a Dorvontous Gordon stickback at the buzzer.

The 6-feet, 8-inch tall Simpson scored seven straight points for the Maroons as they tied the game in the fourth quarter.

"Defensively, we quit competing," said Gamber. "Any time they wanted to get it on the block, they got it on the block. Once they got it in the block, we didn't help down. We worked all week about 'help on their big kid, help on their big kid.'"

Even as the lead slipped away, Mt. Vernon had opportunities to fend off Central. Logan Murphy freed himself for a wide-open look at the basket and knocked down a 3-pointer that gave the Rams a 49-41 lead with 3:04 left to play.

But Mt. Vernon could not get a stop at the other end of the court as Central answered with a 3-pointer to remain within striking distance.

"We had a chance to bury them right there," said Gamber. "We didn't get back and gave up the easy shot."

Then, with less than a minute remaining and Central gripping a 52-51 lead, Murphy worked his way to the basket for a layup. But the ball spun all the way around the basket before falling out. The Maroons recovered the rebound and made two free throws after being fouled.

After going the entire second quarter without a field goal, Central heated up down the stretch.

The Maroons scored 10 unanswered points in the final minute of the third quarter and mad eight of 11 field goal attempts during their rally from the 17-point deficit. Many of their baskets came in transition off of Mt. Vernon turnovers.

"You cannot beat a trap with the dribble," said Gamber. "You can't do it. That's what we wanted to do the whole time. If we would have reversed the basketball one time we would've gotten a layup on the block."

Gamber said his team lost its composure and diverted from its game plan in the second half.

"We talked [at halftime] about how they were going to up the pressure," he said. "You've got to be more patient. If you'll work for one or two trips you're going to get way up. They'r double-teaming and triple-teaming. If we make one pass across, there's no help; it's a layup."

The undersized Rams frustrated the Maroons with that type of play in the first half. Mt. Vernon scored inside often, with a trio of Murphy 3-pointers helping Mt. Vernon to a 17-11 lead by the end of the first quarter.

The Rams limited Central to a single first-quarter rebound and outscored the Maroons 10-2 in the second period to stretch the lead to 14 points.

Central missed all 12 of its shot attempts in the second quarter, getting both of its points from the free-throw line.

The tide turned in the third quarter when the Maroons created offense out of their defense.

"We knew they were going to try to slow it down," said Central coach Scott Davis. "I thought our pressure was the difference. They didn't quit. They didn't stop playing hard. Mt. Verno got a little rattled there in the second half and we were able to convert it."

Murphy led all scorers in the game with 17 points. The senior sank all five of his attempts from beyond the 3-point line and finished with three assists. Kevon Fortney added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Rams, while Kellin Edwards added 11 points and four assists. Eric Fowler finished with a team-high eight rebounds while also adding three assists, two steals and a blocked shot for Mt. Vernon.

Simpson scored all of his team-high 16 points in the second half for Central, which also got 14 points from Crasberry.

The Rams resume play 10 a.m. today against Germantown (Tenn.) Houston in the consolation bracket. Houston fell 90-40 to O'Fallon on Monday.

Gamber said his team will need a quick turnaround if it is to continue playing this week at Centralia.

"We've got to come back tomorrow," he said. "If we go through the motions, we'll be 0-2 and going to Althoff and Breese Central and it's going to be a long year."



Centralia Holiday Tournament

First Round

Champaign Central 55, MVTHS 53

Central 11 2 16 26—55

Mt. Vernon 17 10 11 15—53

CENTRAL: Jay Simpson 7-16 1-3 16, Isaiah Clasberry 5-8 1-2 14, Edwind McGhee 3-7 4-6 11, Clayton Jones 3-4 3-4 10, Joe Daniels 2-10 0-2 4, Nathan Chisholm 0-3 0-0 0, John Lessasris 0-0 0-0 0, Anthony Green 0-1 0-0 0, DeMario Larkin 0-0 0-0 0, Trey Smith-Williams 0-0 0-0 0, Kevin Lindsey 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 9-17 55.

MT. VERNON: Logan Murphy 5-6 2-3 17, Kevon Fortney 5-10 5-6 15, Kellin Edwards 5-12 1-1 11, Eric Fowler 3-8 0-2 6, Dorvontous Gordon 2-2 0-0 4, Ashtun Rush 0-0 0-0 0, Tyril Trimble 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-39 8-12 53.

3-point goals ‚ Central 6-11 (Simpson 1-1, Clasberry 3-3, McGhee 1-2, Jones 1-2, Chisholm 0-2, Green 0-1) Mt. Vernon 5-10 (Murphy 5-5, Fortney 0-2, Edwards 0-2, Trimble 0-1). Rebounds Central 16 (Simpson 6) Mt. Vernon 28 (Fowler 8). Turnovers —Central 7, Mt. Vernon 12. Team fouls — Central 13, Mt. Vernon 11.