Veteran coach Tom Bancroft earned his money Friday night.
In his first game in charge of George Washington, the former Littleton coach saw the Patriots lose an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter as Monarch forced the Class 5A nonleague game into overtime.
The Patriots responded by showing off their depth, and junior Jerrome Millard poured in 12 points in overtime in an 89-86 victory.
“Second-best victory ever,” Bancroft said. “Our kids just didn’t quit. I’m so proud of them. We had one starter on the floor (in overtime).”
The Patriots (1-0) never trailed, and Millard made sure they didn’t fall behind in overtime as he hit a 3-pointer, stole a pass that led to a layup and made seven free throws to finish with a team-high 26 points.
“We had to keep our heads,” said Millard, who credited his team’s sharp play to its previous practice and the coaching staff. “You’ve got to stay calm or they end up winning.”
Sean Stokes scored 20 points for the Patriots and Jordan White added 19.
Monarch (1-1) was lethargic in the first half but came to life behind the long-range shooting of junior guard Brooks Bajcar. Bajcar had just two points on two shots in the first half before drilling four 3-pointers in the third quarter to get on track.
Bajcar scored a game-high 29 points.
“We talked to Bajcar (at halftime) about how he was setting up his screens and talked to the team about getting him some shots,” Monarch coach Ken Niven said. “I talked to the team about just flat executing and screening somebody.”
Senior Anthony Urrutia scored 21 points for the Coyotes and Sammy Chen had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Coyotes tied the game for just the second time when Bajcar moved off a screen and made a 3-pointer from the wing with 13 seconds remaining.
In overtime, Millard and 5-foot-3 guard David Pierce scored the first seven points to give the Patriots an 81-74 lead. Bajcar, who scored eight points in overtime, hit a 3-pointer to rally the Coyotes again.
Monarch’s Kyle Miller cut the deficit to 87-86 when he converted 1-of-2 free-throw attempts with 22 seconds remaining, but Millard answered with two free throws with 19 seconds remaining.
Monarch 15 12 21 26 12 – 86
George Washington 16 19 19 20 15 – 89
Monarch – Chen 4 3-4 12, Bajcar 9 4-7 29, Miller 0 3-4 3, Naudain 0 2-2 2, Kawoluk 0 0-0 0, Bullock 3 3-4 9, Magiera 2 3-4 7, Allen 0 3-4 3, Urrutia 6 8-11 21. Totals 24 29-40 86.
George Washington – Johnson 2 0-0 5, Carter 0 0-0 0, Pierce 1 1-2 3, White 6 7-9 19, Brown 0 2-2 2, Davis 0 0-0 0, Millard 7 8-9 26, Drumgo 3 2-2 8, Stokes 6 7-9 20, Jones 1 4-6 6, Teague 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 31-39 89.
3-pt. goals – Bajcar 7, Chen, Urrutia; Millard 4, Johnson, Stokes. Total fouls – Monarch 29; George Washington 33. Fouled out – Naudain, Bullock. Technicals – None.
