Karsceal Turner – I Got Next!
Boo ya ka! It simply doesn’t get any better than putting a hurting on your arch-rival in overtime.
Ricky Johnson validated his stance as a leader, a scorer, and a point-guard with grit as he nailed a jumper with one tick on the clock in a 67-65 overtime thriller Saturday.
OH yeah…it was also basketball homecoming for B-CU. The LadyCats set the tone by beating the Lady Rattlers 76-60 and avenging a loss in Tallahassee.
“We couldn’t let them beat us in our home.” Johnson said. I asked the coaches if this B-CU team shared a healthy, dislike for FAMUs squad. It seems the team answered the question. Thus this B-CU hoops alum is satisfied.
Unless you’ve been hanging out on the moon or in a cave, you understand the B-CU vs. FAMU rivalry extends to ALL sports. Bloody Hell, this goes for everything athletic AND academic. The Wildcat vs. Rattler rivalry is so serious….Amish people speak of it! I saw them in the stands (Just clowning Amish brothers and sisters). As I was saying, we of the Wildcat Nation despise serpents, period.
This game was played in the Richard V. Moore gymnasium on B-CU’s campus. I recall a time when B-CU didn’t play FAMU on campus in Daytona Beach. The games were held in the Ocean Center. Didn’t I just tell you this? Folks the game was wide open. FAMU had the nerve to bring a support cast of fans who occupied a full section. B-CU security was thick and on deck!
As a counter for such audacity, B-CU employed the services of the Marching Wildcat pep band. As I said earlier, the gym was fire-code maximum capacity, wide-open! Even the cheerleaders were battling.
I’ve already described the atmosphere now dig the story. Johnson scorched the Rattlers with a career-high 25 points and the game-winning bucket. The B-CU supporting cast equally shot and defended well. Adrien Coleman, who regularly leads the Cats in scoring dropped 16, Javoris Bryant was good for 11 and eight boards, while Malik Jackson was good for seven and Kevin Dukes had 4. Free throws had a bearing on this one according to Coleman. If I had made even half of my free throws, the game wouldn’t have been that close. I take the blame for that,” he said.
B-CU was 9-15 in free throws and 4-4 in overtime where they really needed it. They shot 16-28 for 57.1 percent at the line. That is Bully good folks!
Reggie Lewis led four Rattler players in doubles with 17 points, followed by Jamie Adams with 15 and D`Andre Bullard with 11. Trey Kellum rounded out the cast of Rattlers in double-figures, carding a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. For the sake of objective journalism, let me say I truly admired FAMU’s play, their cheerleaders swag, and their fans’ boldness within the hostile environment that is the Richard V. Moore gymnasium on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University.
I’ll say it again; I admired them, but look here, admire and “like” are not the same thing.
With the victory, the Wildcats (9-14, 4-4 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) are now at .500 in league play. They are ranked seventh of 13 league schools. Head Coach Gravelle Craig continued to stress finishing strong. “We’re still a work in progress. We have to do a better job of finishing the game in regulation,” he said. Indeed, they have until this Thursday to get it in gear because they travel to Greensboro, North Carolina for a game against those Aggies of NC A&T. You’ll recall how B-CU bashed A&T 72-60 in Moore gymnasium. Now they will have to contend with the deafening chant of “AGGIE PRIDE!” smh. Stay tuned folks, I still got NEXT!
