One minute on the clock.
One point differential.
One play could make our break who is headed to the MAAC Championship.
Sophomore guard Justin Menard, on the inbound, found senior forward Jaden Daughtry, who fed it right back to Menard. Menard drove through the Merrimack zone, and as he neared the foul line, an open sophomore forward Parby Kabamba, stood down low on the left side.
Kabamba boxed out junior guard Ernest Shelton for an open lane to the basket. With no need to use a dribble, Kabamba went up for a routine layup, barely looking to ensure that the ball dropped in.
As he turned around, the points were still not counted as the ball rimmed around the hoop and out.
Kabamba grabbed the rebound and attempted another shot, but with the tight Merrimack defense, junior forward Todd Brogna blocked the shot, sending the ball out of bounds. On the inbound, Menard with the ball just outside the paint put up a floater that hit the rim. Merrimack slammed the ball out of bounds, giving Marist their fourth opportunity in a minute.
Ultimately, graduate student guard Rhyjon Blackwell turned the ball over.
You can pick out any play in a basketball game and say, “well if that was called differently,” or “if that shot went in,” or “if they called a time-out there,” and the list goes on. There were several plays of that nature throughout the game, one of them being Kabamba’s missed layup. The play brings back memories of the missed Max Allen free throws during the 2024 MAAC Tournament.
Kabamba played in 30 games for the Red Foxes in the regular season, starting in the last four games after redshirt sophomore center Jason Schofield injured his knee.
Over the season, Kabamba averaged 16.3 minutes, 5.5 points and three rebounds.
The past couple of weeks, Kabamba has been battling an injury of his own in his knee. Playing 29 minutes and 38 seconds in the quarterfinal win 21 hours prior, Kabamba moved more slowly than usual in warm-ups and during the game.
He hit a massive 3-pointer to help seal the win yesterday for Marist and had the opportunity to end the game once again. This time, he came up short.
Despite playing through an injured knee and shooting 2-for-9 against the Warriors, Kabamba provided a defensive edge that the Red Foxes needed. Regardless of Kabamba’s shooting percentage, he ended the semifinal matchup at plus-15.
It might not show up in the box score, or the missed potential game-winning layup, but without Kabamba, Marist may not have been in the game to begin with.
“I told the guys in the locker room just to learn from this pain,” Blackwell said. “That is something that I hope they can take and learn from this and this moment right here. It sucks. It stings. But if you use it right, it will make you a better person and man off the court.”
Edited by Max Rosen
Photo by Cara Lacey
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