January 24, 2010
Union City wins on the foul line
Robert Ramos scored all eight of his points on free throws in the last 3:23 of the game.
Click Here for photos from Memorial at Union City.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
UNION CITY – Shooting free throws with the game on the line can be a nerve-wracking experience for any player. For Union City’s Robert Ramos, it was anything but that.
Ramos connected on eight straight free throws in the final 3:23 as the Soaring Eagles outlasted Memorial 60-53 yesterday afternoon.
“I just take a deep breath and only focus on me and the basket,” said Ramos, adding that he tries to block out the crowd. “When I’m on the line it’s just me, the ball and the basket.”
Ramos, who had been held scoreless up until that point, gave Union City (7-5) the lead for the first time in the second half with his first pair of free throws. After a Luis Perez basket put Memorial (2-10) back in front, Ramos would again return to the charity stripe, sinking a pair that gave the Soaring Eagles a 53-52 lead they wouldn’t relinquish with 2:06 left on the clock.
Ramos, who had been 13-of-17 from the line before the game, hit four more foul shots. The last two with 29 seconds left on the clock, made it a three-possession game and sealed the victory.
The foul shots capped off a significant turnaround from a tough opening half. Coming off the bench on this day, the senior point guard struggled in the first half, recording just one rebound and two assists.
“In the first half I was rushing to get the ball over half court,” Ramos said, admitting he was frustrated at times early on. “The coaches told me to just get the ball inbounds, don’t try to beat your man, stay calm and just take it up slowly.”
“He struggled in the first half,” Morano said. “We kind of left him out there by himself and he had some turnovers. But to his credit he regrouped at the half and settled us down.”
Ramos responded intermission with five rebounds and four assists after the intermission to finish with six in each category.
The senior point guard wasn’t the only one making the most of his foul line opportunities. Eury Almonte and Jonathan Agurto hit 3-of-4 from the line in that final stretch of the game. As a team, Union City was 21-of-26 on free throws.
“We’ve been shooting well at the foul line the last couple of weeks and I’m proud of them,” Morano said. “I was proud that they made them.”
“If you want to become a good team you’ve got to execute in the fourth quarter,” Memorial head coach Ryan Raparelli said. “They sunk their free throws and we missed them.”
The smooth-shooting Almonte scored seven points in the fourth quarter to finish with a game-high of 19 points.
Agurto scored his 1,000th career point on a driving layup late in the first quarter to become the first player at Union City to reach the milestone since the merger of Emerson and Union Hill last season. The senior, who had a rare off-day from 3-point range, finished with 15 points and proved that he’s more than just a long-range specialist.
“Every team knows I’m a shooter so I’ve got to change my game, start attacking,” Agurto said. “And if I start attacking and they take it away, I start hitting shots.”
Ramon Martinez added 11 points for a Soaring Eagles squad that has now played eight games decided by seven points or less and four overtime contests this season. One of those games was a 76-74 overtime win at Memorial on Jan. 12.
Memorial had taken a quick 19-11 lead after successive 3-pointers from Kermy Amparo, Perez and Omar Ledesma late in the third quarter. But Union City bounced right back with an 8-0 run to tie it up as they game stayed within five points from that point up until the final minute of the game.
Perez had a double-double for the Tigers, posting 18 points and 12 rebounds. Amparo scored 12 points (nine in the first half). Top scorer Jonathan Munoz battled early foul trouble and was limited to just six points.
Luis Perez led Memorial with 18 points and 12 rebounds in the contest.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Tigers (2-10) | 19 |
12 |
11 |
11 |
53 |
| Union City Soaring Eagles (7-5) | 17 |
13 |
11 |
19 |
60 |
| Memorial | Union City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Memorial: Perez 12 rebounds; Almonte 8 rebounds; Carpio 7 rebounds; Amparo 4 steals. Union City: Ramos 6 rebounds, 6 assists; Martinez 5 rebounds; Cruz 4 rebounds; Nino 4 rebounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||