All season, Isaiah Robledo and Corban Felton have been on a collision course – with the county championship serving as the perfect stage for their clash. The 5-6 grade league’s top-two scorers didn’t disappoint when they finally tangled Friday night at Charlie Dalton Gym.
Robledo’s 27 points, including a game-winning floater with 13 seconds left, powered Morrison to a 46-44 victory over Irving College, which was led by Felton’s 20 points.
Elementary teams have long been frustrated by the talented guards, as Robledo dominated District 2 while Felton was unstoppable in District 1. When they finally got to match up against each other, it was like looking in a mirror.
Both are small and shifty, making them impossible to keep from getting to the bucket. They’re also both more than capable of draining from distance, something both did late in Friday’s instant classic.
Brayden Snider, who scored 19 points, finally completed a Tiger comeback which spanned the whole second half when he drained a free throw to tie the game with 57.3 seconds to go. It set off a wild final minute, one where Robledo and Felton took center stage.
Morrison pushed the pace, almost too much, when trying to reclaim the lead. A lead pass for Braden Haggins went sailing for the sidelines, but he was able to retrieve it at the last second. Tight-roping the line, Haggins leapt and was able to find Robledo rushing toward the 3-point line.
The Eagle point guard never hesitated. Robledo rose up and drained the 3-pointers, giving Morrison a brief 44-41 lead.
Felton quickly took the inbounds bounce and took off upcourt. He only needed one screen to get a look from the right wing, one he buried with 38 seconds to play to knot the score at 44-44.
Robledo was ready for the answer.
He rushed back to the other end, splitting two defenders at the top of the key to get into the paint. He leapt high for a floater, one made more difficult as he collided with an Irving College defender near the rim. Robledo’s floater swished through with 23.0 seconds left and the Tigers were called for a foul.
Robledo didn’t get a chance to add to the lead though as Morrison was called for a lane violation seconds later.
Morrison made sure Felton couldn’t try to answer, forcing the ball out of his hands when he made it back on offense. Felton dished to an open teammate, but a layup didn’t find the net.
The Eagles were able to run out the clock late on the other end, stopping Irving College from getting another chance at overtime.
Morrison jumped out to a 6-0 lead early, using its swarming defense to overwhelm the Tigers. It looked like it would be another blowout for the unbeaten Eagles, but the Tigers fought back.
Snider kept his team afloat in the first quarter, scoring all seven of his team’s points as Irving College trailed 14-7 after six minutes. The deficit shrunk to 21-17 by halftime, with Haggins keeping Morrison in the lead with a late jumper and 3-pointer in the final minute of the first half.
Irving College drew within one, 24-23, early in the third quarter before Robledo took over. He hit back-to-back 3-pointers, sandwiched around two Snider free throws, then answered Snider’s layup with a driving basket.
Robledo made it nine points in a row with a free throw that made it 33-27 late in the third quarter.
The Tigers didn’t falter though.
Anden Green made a huge effort play in the final seconds of the third, venturing among the trees in the paint to grab a pivotal offensive rebound that set up a Tiger bucket that energized the crowd.
Morrison tried to run away in the fourth, but Felton was there to answer each time. Irving College’s star scored nine points in the final period, including two running layups that stunned the Eagle defense.
In the end though, Robledo had just enough to keep the Eagles out front.
Haggins finished with 11 points for the Eagles, followed by Braxton Gibbs with four. Kristopher Robledo and Trayce Ashford added two points each.
Rounding out Irving College’s scoring were Canaan Paris with three and Wesley Clendenon with two.
