College Basketball : Glendale Rally Falls Short at the Finish

Mt. San Jacinto College reserve Barry Ablin missed a free throw down the stretch earlier this season, costing the Eagles a victory. But he didn’t have to wait long for sweet redemption.

With 9 seconds to play Thursday night, Ablin nailed both of his free throws, moving Mt. San Jacinto ahead by 4 points and putting the Palomar men’s basketball tournament game out of Glendale’s reach. A last-second layup was academic as the Eagles downed the Vaqueros, 67-65, in the consolation final.

Glendale, which trailed by 10 points with less than 5 minutes to play, was sparked by Jimmie Fowler’s 2-handed dunk in traffic and rallied to within 63-60 with 1:07 left. But Bruce Heike, unable to find the mark all afternoon, broke off a pick and missed a 3-point shot that would have tied the score.

Although the Vaqueros built an 11-2 lead in the first 5 minutes, they cooled, relinquished the lead and did not regain it until Clarence Williams tipped in a rebound 5 seconds before intermission.

The Eagles moved back in front, 50-49, with 10:38 to play when Ronald Simpson converted a 3-point play. Seconds later, Ablin buried a bomb from about 5 feet beyond the 3-point stripe to give Mt. San Jacinto some breathing room.

Mt. San Jacinto forward Byron Wesley scored a game-high 17 points.

Dave Swanson led Glendale with 15 points.