Cook heats up to lift Washington Township

One dramatic three-pointer as the clock ran down to the end of the game wasn't enough for Spencer Cook.

He made two of them.

Cook forced overtime with a three-pointer late in regulation, then made another three-pointer with five seconds on the clock in the extra session to lift Washington Township to a 62-60 victory over Timber Creek in an Olympic Conference inter-division boys' basketball game Thursday night.

"He's the kind of kid, you want the ball in his hands in those situations," Washington Township coach Matt Kiser said of Cook.

A 6-foot junior, Cook finished with 30 points and also generated six rebounds, three steals and two assists for Washington Township (7-8).

Sophomore forward Rich Racobaldo added 13 points and junior center A.J. Michaels came off the bench to contribute nine points with three blocks for the Minutemen.

Senior forward Dikemba Amugo collected 19 points with 14 rebounds and five blocks and junior guard Caleb Bowser added 16 points for visiting Timber Creek (7-6), the No. 20 team in The Inquirer Top 20.

"You know how coaches say, 'We won even though we lost?' " Timber Creek coach Rich Bolds said. "I think we won tonight because down the stretch we're going to be in situations like this and we're going to be able to handle it."

Washington Township rallied from a 54-47 deficit in the final 2 minutes, 10 seconds of regulation as Racobaldo hit a three-pointer and converted a three-point play off Cook's steal and dish.

Cook tied the score at 58-58 with a deep three-pointer with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.

"I think he was from the white line," said Bolds, referring to a mark well behind the three-point line.

Said Cook: "I didn't know I was that deep. When I let it go, it felt good."

The game rumbled into overtime when Timber Creek missed a jumper with two seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers took a 60-58 lead on Bowser's put-back basket. Cook cut the deficit to 60-59 with one free throw.

After a turnover, Washington Township called a timeout with 20 seconds on the clock.

"The one thing we didn't want was for No. 4 [Cook] to beat us," Bolds said. "He's their guy. He's supposed to make those shots."

Cook had possession with around 12 seconds left but drove and dished to Racobaldo on the right wing.

Racobaldo returned the favor, knifing into the lane and kicking the ball back to Cook, who was standing behind the three-point line on the left side of the key.

"Rich made that happen," Cook said.

Cook's fifth three-pointer of the night, and second as the clock winked down to the end of the game, hit nothing but net.

"This was huge for us," Cook said. "We've been in so many close games and we've let so many of them slip away. This is going to be a big confidence-booster for us going forward."

Timber Creek 21 8 9 20 2 - 60

Washington Township 12 16 12 18 4 - 62

TC: Dikemba Amugo 19, Justin Thompson 4, Denzel Washington 4, Randy Bell 11, Donovan Spencer 6, Kaleb Bowser 16.

WT: Spencer Cook 30, Justin Ortiz 5, Najee Wilson 1, Rich Racobaldo 13, Jerry Thompson 4, A.J. Michaels 9.