PITTSBURGH — In their third straight game as the underdog, the Happy Valley Hoopers pulled off the upset yet again, defeating The Zoo Crew (Pittsburgh Alumni Team) 85-82 to advance to The Basketball Tournament (TBT) Quarterfinals Tuesday night.
Despite having to play at Pitt’s home gym, Sam Sessoms made sure the magical Hoopers run continues to week 2.
Zoo Crew came out strong, building out a 14-point lead in the first half and an 11-point lead in the second half. But the #attitude of the Hoopers just kept chipping away, staying close, until Sessoms took over in the Elam Ending (where at the 4:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter, 8 points are added to the leading team’s score, and both teams play until someone hits that number).
Happy Valley led just for a few seconds and needed a significant run to enter the Elam Ending down just two. An incredibly astute timeout by Head Coach Ross Condon, despite trailing by two, set up a spectacular finish. The lead went back and forth three times in the Elam Ending.
Zoo Crew had a three rim out that would have won the game, but as it rattled out, Sessoms finished his own personal 6-0 run, hitting the winner over his friend and star for Zoo Crew, Mike Young.
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How Happy Valley Hoopers Rallied Past Zoo Crew
The energy in the gym was amplified by TBT’s bizarre decision to allow the entire University of Pittsburgh’s Men’s Basketball team to stand behind the basket, constantly chirping at the Hoopers.
A few Happy Valley players went right up to them going into the halftime tunnel. Famed official Ted Valentine requested stanchions be placed in front of the Panther team to avoid second-half altercations.
Despite that, Juwuan Daniels, the only Hooper who didn’t play for Penn State, immediately went over to them in the post-game celebration. After losing their first game in TBT last year, their first participation, this team deserved to celebrate. Special credit goes to the captain and GM John Harrar, who donated a tooth to the cause after being elbowed (no foul was called). The Zoo Crew shot 18 free throws to the Hoopers just 8.
Sam Sessoms had 27 points and 9 assists, Greg Lee continued his hot TBT with 23 points and 5 rebounds, and Curtis Jones added 17. Despite not shooting as well from 3 (9 for 23 on the night), Happy Valley shot over 55% from the field as the Zoo Crew couldn’t stop the Hoopers attack when it mattered most.
Only 8 teams remain in TBT, and Happy Valley hits the road to play in Houston, Texas, Tuesday night at 7:00 pm vs a legendary TBT team, Eberlein Drive.
The Drive are one of two teams to have played in every iteration of TBT since its inception in 2014.
To listen to an immediate reaction after the win, check out the emergency episode of Shots Gotta Fall Podcast:
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NittanyCentral is his second reporting job following the Men's Basketball program. He co-founded and co-hosts the Shots Gotta Fall - The Penn State Basketball Podcast (the premiere, the best, the only) with Steve Travis.
Smith's most proud moment covering the team was seeing the national No. 9 ranking during Pat Chambers' last year. His most embarrassing moment was spending almost a thousand dollars to travel 2,000 miles in 46 hours to watch the Nittany Lions lose to Temple in the 2011 NCAA Tournament (screw you Juan Fernandez).