The Madison Mavericks came up short against the Cedar Valley Court Kings in a thrilling double-overtime finish. The final score was 127-122 in favor of the Court Kings.
It was the resiliency of the Court Kings that stole the game from the Mavericks. A buzzer-beating floater, which came from a Court Kings offensive rebound, tied the game at 102 at the end of regulation.
The first overtime was a back-and-forth affair that came down to the last shot. On the last possession, the Court Kings found a way to get to the free-throw line with just .6 seconds remaining.
With the home crowd rallying behind them, the Mavericks survived the scare. The Court Kings missed both potential game-winning free throws, sending the game into double overtime.
The fatigue from both teams was imminent — but Cedar Valley prevailed.
In their final possession of double-overtime, the Mavericks failed to get a shot off resulting in a shot clock violation. The Court Kings then made two free throws and iced the game away at 127-122.
“I feel like we didn’t really capitalize on opportunities,” Mavericks Head Coach Curtrel Robinson said after the game.
Mavericks Guard Shareef Smith had a game-high 25 points despite the loss. Other returning Mavericks, Julian Walters and Dave Turner both had 18-points apiece.
Those three combined for exactly half of the Mavericks’ total points.
Two new faces that shined in their debut were Immanuel Oby and Kelvin Eubanks Sr. Oby finished the game with 16 points, including some clutch three-point shooting down the stretch. Eubanks had 13 points before fouling out at the end of regulation.
It was a warm welcome back into the OBA season.
The Mavericks and Court Kings were both a part of the OBA North division last year before getting moved into the Central division, and their rivalry lived on with another instant classic. The Mavericks are now just 1-3 against Court Kings all-time — their lone win being the one to clinch a spot in the Final Four last season.
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“Time to bounce back,” Robinson said. “Onto the next.”
The Mavericks bounced back, finishing the weekend winning both games in the doubleheader.
