In high school sports, moments occur which bring schools, fans, teams, and communities together for a common purpose.
Detroit Loyola led Pontiac Notre Dame Prep 41-24 with 5:35 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Yet, Notre Dame never ceased.
Sophomore point guard Tariq Derrickson would connect on three three-pointers to trim the Bulldog lead down to single digits within three minutes. Derrickson missed six of his first seven shots he took on the night, but exploded for four three pointers in the third and 21 of his game high 27 points came in the second half. Loyola however would still lead 44-39 with one quarter left.
The final 50 seconds of play saw two ties and three lead changes. Derrickson hit an elbow jumper with four seconds remaining to knot the score at 62, but still time for the Bulldogs to make a move. Senior Demarco Dickerson inbounded the ball to junior Dequan Powell, Powell would beat a corner double-team, took four dribbles, and rose up with a foot on the Notre Dame Prep side of half court for the game winner, a perfect bank shot off the white square. All in a matter of four seconds.
And was stampeded at half court by fans and players with arms of embracement.
“They say he was a sophomore,” Powell alluded to Derrickson after the game. “He had the mid-range on me to tie the score up, and all I was thinking I had to come back and make a play.”
“I just shot it up.”
Through seven games, Detroit Loyola ranked second in Class C, has won by an average margin of 14 points. As Loyola transitions deeper into CHSL play, Powell believes the moments of adversity his team faced against Notre Dame Prep will only prepare his Bulldogs for the team’s ultimate goal, winning the conference championship.
“Huge (momentum wise), come back tomorrow next day for practice get better,” Powell added. “It’s all about getting better everyday.”
Powell contributed 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals. Freshman backcourt mate Pierre Mitchell chipped in with 16 points, and senior Demarco Dickerson added 13 points and four rebounds.
Loyola improves to 8-2, while Notre Dame falls to 8-2.
The Prep Ball Report 
Leave a Reply