Porters Chapel’s Allen Cassell (4) has his shot blocked by Veritas’ Jacob Jordan during Monday’s 49-46 loss as Zack Dominy (2) looks on. (Meredith SpencerThe Vicksburg Post)

[11/23/04]It’s said that blondes have more fun, and Mick Dees is no exception.

With his golden locks hanging into his eyes, Dees launched a 3-pointer from the wing that went right through the net, giving Veritas a 48-46 lead with 17 seconds remaining.

“It wasn’t really supposed to go to me, it was supposed to go to two other guys,” Dees said of the 3-point play. “But I was wide open.”

Moments later, he hit a crucial free throw that put Veritas ahead by three to clinch the game. Dees’ bravado completed a remarkable 17-3 run by the Lions as they defeated Porters Chapel 49-46 on Monday. The loss drops the Eagles to 0-2 in District 4-A games.

Jacob Jordan led Veritas (5-2) with 19 points and 13 rebounds, but Dees stole the spotlight at the end and finished with 14 points.

“He’d been knocking down shots all night for them,” PCA coach Mike Grzanich said. “You can’t double- and triple-team somebody and leave somebody out on the perimeter wide open. You’re in trouble, just like what happened.”

The Eagles led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter but collapsed down the stretch under the weight of Veritas’ full-court press. PCA rushed shots and threw away passes, setting up layups for Veritas, which outscored PCA 19-9 in the final quarter.

“That’s what a press is for to make a team go faster than they want to go,” Grzanich said. “They’ve got to understand once they get it across halfcourt, you’ve got to throw the reins on it. You’ve got an 11-point lead, you’ve got to work the clock and get a good shot. Every shot’s got to count.”

PCA squandered numerous chances to put the game away.

Ahead 43-40 with 2:02 left, Dean Hill fouled Dees on a 3-point shot. Dees hit all three free throws to tie the game. Hill then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, leading to a fast break and layup for Veritas to go ahead 45-43.

Hayden Hales, who had a team-high 18 points, hit a 3-pointer from the corner that put PCA up by one with 36 seconds left. Dees followed with a trifecta of his own to take the lead right back.

“He’s been doing that all year,” Veritas coach Jeff Thigpen said of Dees. “He’s been averaging 12-15 a game just hitting threes. That’s his shot, and he hits it all the time.”

Grzanich called a timeout to set up a play for the Eagles. But once they broke the Lions’ press, Blake Purvis fired the ball down the lane and out of bounds.

PCA was forced to foul four times to reach the bonus. Dees went back to the line and made one of two shots. The Eagles secured the rebound and called timeout with 5 seconds left on the clock.

Running off a double screen, Hales missed a 3-pointer, and Allen Cassell grabbed the rebound his 15th of the game. Cassell threw up a final attempt, which fell short.

“We just didn’t run our offense,” Hales said. “We didn’t do what we needed to do.”

Grzanich echoed Hales’ concerns.

“The guys are just not listening to me right now,” Grzanich said. “If they continue to not listen, we’re going to continue to lose … We had an 11-point lead and we’re running down the floor on fast breaks.

“That’s not how you win basketball games.”

(G) PCA 60, Veritas 35

The Lady Eagles had little trouble hammering Veritas. PCA jumped out to a 33-9 lead in the first half.

Annie Beaugh scored a game-high 27 points, 11 of which came in the opening quarter. Lauren Johnson added nine of her 12 points in the second half for PCA.