Detroit Pershing outlasts Detroit Consortium, 72-69, in battle of top area boys basketball teams

Detroit Pershing senior Justin Tillman looks to move to the basket against Mikel Tyson of Detroit Consortium in a boys basketball matchup on Jan. 11, 2014.

Detroit Pershing senior Justin Tillman looks to move to the basket against Mikel Tyson of Detroit Consortium in a boys basketball matchup on Jan. 11, 2014.

  • 01/11 - 7:00 PM Boys BasketballFinal
    Detroit Voyageur 69
    Detroit Pershing 72
Complete Box Score »

Basketball is often called "a game of runs." Saturday night's boys basketball game between Detroit Pershing and Detroit Consortium was exactly that.

In front of a packed gym at East English Village Prep, the Perhsing team made just enough runs to counteract the runs of Consortium on the way to a 72-69 victory.

Detroit Consortium sophomore Josh Jackson looks to move past Detroit Pershing's Dwayne Embry on Jan. 11, 2014. (Jared Purcell | japurcell@mlive.com)

Pershing watched an 8-point fourth quarter lead get completely washed out - after seeing two third quarter leads of 8 and 10 points vanish. Down the stretch, Pershing did just enough to come out victorious, despite not hitting a single field goal in the final 5:18 of the game.

"Basketball is a game of runs," Pershing coach Wydell Henry said, not afraid to bust out the familiar phrase. "You've just got to stay with it. Stay with it and hopefully we'll be victorious in the end."

It was a game heralded as a battle between the best team in the state, Pershing, against arguably the best player in the state, Consortium sophomore Josh Jackson.

Even with Jackson sitting on the Consortium bench for the last 1:11 of the game because he fouled out with 30 points on the night, Pershing could not quite put the game away until the very end. Pershing managed to get in its own way by going just 4-for-10 from the free-throw line in the final 1:07 of the game.

"We're going to run," Henry said of what Pershing can expect in its next practice after missing so many free-throws. "We are going to pay for it. You've got to be able to make free-throws to make championships. That's how we lost last year ... We've just got to get that concentration."

With Pershing (6-1) struggling at the line, Consortium gave itself a chance as Luster Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds to play to cut its deficit to 71-69. After senior Marquel Ingram made it 72-69 for Pershing by splitting a pair of free-throws, Consortium rushed down the court to try and tie the game but Johnson was fouled on the floor with 5.9 seconds left, just a moment before putting up what would have been a game tying 3-pointer.

After Johnson missed both free-throws, Pershing again missed a pair of its own free-throws on the opposite end with 4.9 left. Consortium's last three point shot missed at the buzzer.

Even though Consortium kept things close at various points of the game, Pershing never lost its composure down the stretch.

Detroit Pershing's Amani Felder looks to pass the ball as Detroit Consortium's Keyon Rainey defends. (Jared Purcell | japurcell@mlive.com)

"We felt like we had control of the game," Pershing senior Mory Diane said. "That comes from our point guard, Darsean (Woodson). He just controlled the game and everything ... We were working it inside, adjusting and kicking it back out. We're building chemistry."

Despite Jackson's game-high 30 points, the star sophomore missed large chunks of the game starting as early as the first quarter because of foul trouble. Still, Consortium was able to stay in the game despite falling behind by multiple baskets at numerous points.

"We competed our butts off," Consortium coach Tobias Tuomi said. "I think that was the most evident thing. We had to play - I don't have minute counts - probably over half of the game without arguably the best player in the state. That made things tough. You put that in perspective, you play pretty well."

Not to be outdone, Pershing got a great performances from Diane and senior Justin Tillman, who finished with 16 and 23 points, respectively. The duo scored the first 15 points of the second half for the Doughboys, counteracting the 12 points that Jackson put up for Consortium in that span.

After Tillman did his best Blake Griffin impression by throwing down a dunk without his hands touching the rim just over three minutes into the second half, Diane responded with two-straight three-pointers to keep the gym buzzing.

Johnson rounded out the double-figure scorers on the night, adding 18 points for Consortium.

Diane, who transferred in from Detroit Country Day this season, has been Pershing's top three-point threat this season, going 3-for-4 from beyond the arc against Consortium, fresh off of a 21-point performance just 24 hours prior.

"He's doing wonderful," Henry said of Diane. "He's playing well. He's shooting the ball. He's got to get used to playing all of the time, but he is doing well."

The loss is Consortium's first of the season, as it falls to 5-1 but will likely remain near the top of the Class C standings when the Associated Press releases its first rankings of the season on Tuesday.

"They got up on us early and then it was a game of runs," Tuomi said. "They'd make a run, we'd make a run. We could just never get over that hump. Down the stretch, we had opportunities offensively, but we just didn't execute. Defensively, (Pershing) is a good offensive team. They knocked down a lot of outside shots on us."

Consortium will be tested again on Tuesday at 7 p.m. when it hosts Detroit Country Day. Pershing will host Detroit East English in at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

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