Monroe downs Westover in overtime, 68-60

ALBANY — A last-second shot just inside the half-court line by Westover senior Kemari Leverette tied the game 60-60 and brought fans and teammates alike out of their seats and onto the court Saturday night in the Dougherty Tip-Off Classic at Albany State West. However, after a timeout, order was restored and Monroe kept Westover scoreless in the overtime to win 68-60.

The game was close early, but Monroe senior Andrico Jackson hit three three-point shots in the second quarter to push the Golden Tornadoes to a 27-14 lead and though Westover cut that lead to one in the second half, Monroe led the entire game until Leverette’s last-second shot.

The Golden Tornadoes were up by two with just three seconds remaining with Monroe’s Lorenzo Still at the free throw line. Still hit the first shot to give Monroe a 60-57 lead, but missed the second and Leverette took a pass and drove through traffic to make the game-tying shot.

“Tonight was a great rivalry game,” said Monroe head coach Michael Hoffpauir. “Both teams stepped up and made some big plays. We definitely needed that kind of tough game early in the season to prepare our young squad. We played through adversity and got the win. I’m proud of my guys.”

Still led the scoring for the Tornadoes with 15 points, Jackson scored 13, and Justin Barnes added 12.

While disappointed with the final score, Westover head coach Dallis Smith was pleased with his team’s effort.

“It is always a high-energy game when we play Monroe,” Smith said. “I thought the effort was there. I saw some areas we can definitely improve on. Two of our key players got into foul trouble early, we missed entirely too many layups, and we gave them too many second-chance shots. We did have some young players come off the bench that gave us some good minutes.

Leverette led the Patriots with 25 points and Jeremiah Waters followed with 20.

Monroe will play again next Saturday in Norcross while Westover will play Sumter County in Americus Friday night and then host Colquitt County at home Saturday night.

Special Photo: Joe WhitfieldJoeWhitfield[email protected]