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Mostly Cloudy Mules and Rams play a classic
Moorer scores 56 in four-OT thriller
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Dawhawn Moorer poured in 56 points in Malverne's four-overtime win over West Hempstead.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
Senior guard Dean Walker scored a game high 19 points and added seven rebounds to lead Elmont to a 53-38 victory over Malverne in the championship game of the annual Hank Williams Memorial Tournament on Dec. 29.
The Mules were led by junior Cory Alexander’s nine points. Elmont had advanced to the final with a 57-45 victory over Port Washington.
But the story of the tournament was Malverne’s thrilling 92-89 four-overtime win over neighborhood rival West Hempstead in the opening round. Senior guard DaShawn Moorer scored a school-record 56 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Mules. Alexander added 22 points and 10 assists.
Malverne coach Darrol Lopez couldn’t help but be impressed by Moorer’s outstanding performance. “DaShawn got in a zone and was doing it all,” Lopez said. “He was just out there playing ball, having fun, and showing what he’s capable of on the court.”
Moorer’s 56 points eclipsed the single-game record of 45 set by Bernard Tomlin in 1971 and was two shy of tying the county mark set in 1954 by Harry Manners of Woodmere (known now as Hewlett). Tomlin, now the men’s basketball coach at SUNY-Old Westbury, played at Hofstra University. Tomlin still holds the Hofstra record for most field goals in a game with 20 in a 42-point effort against Oral Roberts during the 1974-75 season.
The Mules got off to a fine start, taking a 30-21 lead at intermission, but West Hempstead fought back. Paced by 26 points from 6-11 senior center Jamel Flash, and 23 from Daniel Minto, the Rams rallied in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 59 and send the game to overtime.
West Hempstead coach Ed Cosgrove was proud of the effort, especially after halftime. “We challenged the guys at the half,” Cosgrove said. “There wasn’t much discussion about game plan, it was more about executing. We weren’t just losing on the scoreboard, we were getting outworked. We challenged them to step it up and work harder.”
The Rams had numerous opportunities in regulation, and throughout the overtime periods, to pull off the victory, but were unsuccessful in crunch time. Finally, in the fourth overtime, Moorer hit two free throws and a bucket in a 10-second span to break the tie and give the Mules a commanding four-point lead. Moorer hit 17 free throws in the game.
Flash, who also pulled down 20 rebounds, left an impression on Cosgrove. “Jamel played a very strong game,” Cosgrove said. “He played all 48 minutes, and did an outstanding job. He was a horse on the boards.” Junior guard Darnell Davy (15) and senior captain Cameron Mitchell combined for 29 points for the Rams.
Lopez looks forward to his team finding itself. The Mules are 2-2 after four non-league contests. “We’re a little undermanned due to injuries, and haven’t put our game together yet,” Lopez said. “We need to get healthy and hit our stride with the league schedule coming up.”
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