Clutch Shots by Watkins Boost Grant

Coach Howard Levine was less than impressed with the way his Grant High team played against Burroughs in a nonleague basketball game Wednesday night at Grant.

He had no complaints about Sean Watkins’ performance, however.

Watkins, a senior guard, scored a game-high 29 points to lead Grant to a 75-69 overtime victory over Burroughs.

Watkins made 13 of 20 shots from the field, including one with 40 seconds to play that tied the score, 66-66, and another in overtime that gave the Lancers a 4-point lead they never relinquished.

“I’ve been struggling with my shooting for the first two games,” Watkins said. “But coach kept telling me to put it up and they started to fall tonight.”

Watkins’ last-minute heroics would not have been necessary, but Grant (2-1) was unable to put Burroughs (3-2) away after leading, 54-44, at the end of the third quarter.

“We were really inconsistent tonight,” Levine said. “We had a 10-point lead at the end of the third quarter, but we couldn’t hold it. At home, that should be our baby . . . But you’ve got to give them credit, they never gave up.”

Burroughs took a 64-62 lead with 1:50 to play when All-Foothill League forward Dan Murphy (20 points) hit a jump shot.

Watkins retaliated with a basket, but Murphy’s 2 free throws gave the Indians a short-lived 66-64 lead with 55 seconds remaining.

Burroughs, which was playing its second game in 2 nights and its third in the past 5, had a chance to win in regulation after Watkins’ game-tying basket, but Nate Conner (15 points) stole the ball from Murphy with 2 seconds remaining.

Grant never trailed in overtime, taking a 70-68 lead on Troy Mcleod’s 2 free throws with 2:23 left in the 3-minute period.

Tom Clemons and Al Podrasky added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Burroughs, which lost to Beverly Hills, 73-69, in the championship of the Burbank-Hoover tournament Saturday night.