By Kurt Stubbs

Cancer Research Classic

WHEELING, W.Va. -- In game 3 of the CRC, crowd favorite Wheeling Park put its unbeaten record on the line against Archbishop John Carroll out of Radnor, Pennsylvania.

In a game of runs, it was John Carroll (7-2) making the final run to overcome a 14-point deficit and knock off West Virginia's No. 1 ranked big school, 66-65 in front of a standing-room-only crowd inside the Alma Grace McDonough Center.

"I think it was mostly toughness," said John Carroll's Juan'ya Green when asked what the biggest factor was leading to his team's comeback victory. "In the locker room coach just kept talking about toughness. We were down nine at halftime and we just came out and battled and played with a lot of heart."

The Patriots of John Carroll stormed out to an 11-0 lead thanks to some easy buckets by 6-foot-3 senior Juan'ya Green and talented 6-foot sophomore Josef Yacob.

However, Park's Kelvin "Bubby" Goodwin would get going and knock down a pair of triples to get his squad back into the contest which eventually led to the West Virginia-based school closing the gap to 17-15 after a quarter of play.

Wheeling Park began to take control in the 2nd and on into the 3rd thanks to a technical foul called on John Carroll head coach Paul Romanczuk and some lights out shooting from Goodwin and 6-foot-1 junior Errin Baynes.

The Park Patriots (8-1) lead was 35-26 at half and stretched to 43-29 in the 3rd quarter before John Carroll decided enough-was-enough. The Pennsylvania Patriots ended up outscoring WP 22-14 in the 3rd frame nearly erasing the 14-point lead as Park's lead was just 49-48 after three.

6-foot-3 junior Alec Stavetski emerged in the 2nd half and came up huge for the winners. Stavetski seemed to be Johnny-on-the-spot the final 16 minutes whether it was a loose ball, a stray rebound, or being on the receiving end of an easy basket. The junior got several baskets on drive-in assists from Green and Yacob, but also knocked down three-of-three from distance. In all, Stavetski scored 17 points and added eight rebounds.

"That is something I expect from our other guys every night," Green proclaimed when asked about the contributions from his teammates.

Green, who was awarded game MVP, finished with 19 points, nine assists, three steals, and two rebounds. The Niagra signee was 7-of-17 from the floor.

"I thought my defense stood out tonight, and just playing defense on every possession," Green believes when asked what part of his game stood out in the victory. "I feel like my offensive game is pretty good, but I need to continue to get better on defense."

Yacob added 17 points, three assists, and a like amount assists.

6-foot-5 big-bodied senior Tracy Peal was good for 11 points and 11 boards. Peal came up with some key rebounds late in the game along with some crucial inside buckets.

For Park, Goodwin scored a day-high 27 points on 8-of-18 shooting including 5-of-8 from three-point range. The 6-foot senior added four assists, four rebounds, and three steals.

6-foot-4 senior Marqez O'Neal added 15 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Baynes followed with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting including a perfect 3-of-3 from distance. The WV State High Jump Champion added seven rebounds and four assists.

6-foot-2 junior Boo Lathon chipped in with six points and six rebounds including a break-away one-handed jam.

Park's failure to execute down the stretch and its poor free-throw shooting eventually led to its demise. Park was just 9-of-17 from the stripe while John Carroll was 10-of-11.

WP did shoot 50 percent from distance (8-of-16), while JC was 6-of-18.