As postseason regulars, no much fazes Springfield. Certainly not fourth-quarter deficits against the less expericenced Phoenix squad.
With Clarence Davis and Paul Hammond making key baskets in the final 2:33, and Chandler Dawes scoring 25 of his 30 points in the second half, Springfield again caught Phoenix at the end to win Game 2 of the AAU National Semi-Finals 111-108 and take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
How big is it? No AAU team has won Games 1 and 2 of a seven-game series this deep in the playoffs, and failed to advance.
And Springfield, who are preparing for Games 3 and 4, are the league's best team over the past 3 seasons in Games 3 and 4.
"We can't be satisfied," Springfield point guard Conor McCaffrey said. "We are confident, but we know Phoenix is a good team. They are proud and they are going to play like they have nothing to lose. We have to be careful."
The way things have gone so far, Springfield has a pretty good margin for error.
Springfield went from an 11-point lead to trailing by six going into the fourth quarter of Game 1 and came away winners. This time, they let a 13-point advantage turn into an 85-80 deficit going into the final period and got away with it thanks to the great play of their two-time AAU MVP, the LSA Illinois State Player of the year, and an agressive and sneaky shooting guard.
Chandler Dawes started the rally by scoring 10 of Springfield's first 12, helping pull Springfield within 100-99. Then, coming out of a timeout following a go-ahead 3-pointer by Phoenix's Darius Williams, McCaffrey nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to put Springfield ahead. It was the kind of shot he's hit so often in the playoffs en route to winning multiple games for Springfield.
"He takes big shots and he makes big shots," Chandler Dawes said. "I don't think there's a person in that locker room that disputes the shots he takes."
Hammond took it from there, going behind his back to beat Shawn Stevenson on a reverse layup, then making a longer jumper on the next possession to put Springfield up 108-102. Although the game went down to the buzzer -- in part because Davis and Hammond each missed free throws in the final 10.7 seconds -- the burst by Hammond and McCaffrey settled this game and, perhaps, this series.
"It's not even spoken about, it's understood," McCaffrey said of Springfield's poise in the closing minutes. "With a veteran team like that, the guys know what's at hand. There's no need to say anything."
Phoenix didn't fold down the stretch. They were simply outplayed.
"They've all been there before and our guys are pretty new to this," said Phoenix's Darius Williams, who had 29 points and 15 assists. "I think it shows not necessarily the lack of production from our guys, but the super production from their guys. They've been just phenomenal in the fourth quarter."
Williams had Phoenix's last-gasp hope. After Hammond made one of two free throws with 4.2 seconds left, he took the inbounds pass and raced up the court, getting a step past McCaffrey but was picked up by defensive ace Jamison Jones III. Still on the run, he threw up a 3-pointer that was on line but short, hitting the front rim, sealing Phoenix's first consecutive losses since March 8-9.
Phoenix coach Mike Andrews grimaced and Williams walked off blank-faced and spent from playing 46 minutes, comforted in the arms of teammate Jake Voskuhl.
"I just tried to stay in front of him," McCaffrey said.
Springfield has been almost unbeatable with series leads in the past four seasons. The only solace for Phoenix is that they have had some success for Springfield in the past, but that was with a much different shaped roster.
"It's never easy playing Springfield, but now that we're down we have to go back to the drawing board and figure something out," said Damion Anderson, who had 37 points and eight rebounds.
Hammond scored 26 points and McCaffrey 27 and five assists. Charlie Dawes had 11, and Clarence Davis scored 7, with two 3-pointers.
Williams became the first player to have four straight playoff games with 25 points and 10 assists.
Although TreQuavion Richardson had 18 points and three 3-pointers matching his total for the last four games, and Stevenson got a little bit back on track by scoring 11 points, Phoenix was driven by Williams and Anderson. They powered runs of 13-0, 11-0, and 10-0, each taking Phoenix from behind to ahead.
Chandler Dawes opened 1-for-7 in the first hald, with just five points and three fouls, one coming with 1.2 seconds left in the second quarter. He seemed more out of whack than struggling from the sprained left ankle that caused him to almost miss the opener of the series, then had to be soaked in a whirlpool at halftime of Game 1.
He scored 11 points in the third quarter, then opened the fourth with a hook, two free throws, a putback of McCaffrey's miss, a dunk and a long jumper.
He hit two foul shots that made it 100-97, but Williams answered with a behind-the-back pass that set Anderson up for a layup, then a 3-pointer that gave Phoenix its last lead, 102-100.