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The Railroad City Tattoo team used its customary 3-point shooting prowess and a deliberate offensive strategy to win the Division 4 championship in the Lakemont Park Men's Summer Basketball League Thursday night.
Led by former Altoona Area High School standout Tyler Robinson's 16 points and 11 from incoming Altoona High senior Colin Lear, top-seeded Railroad City Tattoo carved out a 49-44 victory in the title game over second-seeded C&A Autos.
"It's awesome,'' Robinson, who serves as the Railroad City player-coach, said of the team's championship accomplishment. "It's nice to have a group of friends come out here and play together and win together. That's really cool.''
The game went back-and-forth down the stretch before Railroad City Tattoo finally pulled it out.
After an inside bucket by Abdul Quudus gave C&A Autos a 39-38 lead late in the second half, Robinson and Daryl Lawson both drilled consecutive 3-pointers to put Railroad City Tattoos ahead, 44-39 with 1:30 left.
Brennan Dorefice of C&A and Manny Moss of Railroad City both hit a free throw, leaving Railroad City with a 45-40 lead with 22 seconds left.
A free throw by Lokey Howell and a 3-point field goal by Jabreel Dickens --who led C&A with 15 points -- cut the Railroad City lead to 45-44 with 11 seconds left.
That was before Robinson hit two of two free throws with nine seconds remaining, and Trey Brown followed with two of two free throws to sew up the victory for Railroad City, which made seven 3-point field goals.
"I think the key for us was staying patient and getting in the bonus (situation at the free throw line),'' Robinson said. "We're always a good 3-point shooting team, but today, we played more of a grit-and-grind type of game.''
Along with the 15 points from Dickens, Dorefice scored 11 for C&A Autos, which broke out to an early 12-5 lead before Railroad City chipped away.
"They played a good game,'' Dickens said of the Railroad City squad. "But we gave a good effort, and we played as a team.''
RAILROAD CITY TATTOO (49): Robinson 5 2-2 16, Lear 3 3-4 11, Copeland 1 1-2 3, Lawson 3 0-0 7, Brown 3 3-4 9, Moss 1 1-6 3, Schimminger 0 0-0 0, Shunk 0 0-0 0, Brandt 0 0-0 0. Totals - 16 10-18 49.
C&A AUTOS (44): Dorefice 4 1-4 11, Dickens 6 2-3 15, Quudus 1 0-0 2, Wright 2 0-0 4, Rictor 1 0-0 2, Howell 2 1-2 6, Shippen 2 0-0 4. Totals - 18 4-9 44.
Halftime: Railroad City Tattoo, 20-18.
3-point goals: Railroad City Tatoo 7 (Robinson 4, Lear 2, Lawson); C&A Autos 4 (Dorefice 2, Dickens, Howell).
Officials: Curtis Miller, Tim Hite, Woo Betar.