Silpe Summons Legend, but Cougars Basketball Falls Short

All second half, Cherry Hill East boys’ basketball player Jake Silpe could be seen hunched over, his hands on his knees, trying to gain his breath.

Silpe wasn’t continuously in that position because he's out of shape—the Cougars guard was simply worn down because he was dealing with the flu.

Yet, somehow, the later the game got, the more clutch Silpe became. With his team down five points to Olympic Conference foe Eastern and 14 seconds left, Silpe rose up and drained a 3-pointer to bring his team within two.

When the deficit was three points with just five seconds left, Silpe drove the length of the court then pulled up on the right side of the 3-point circle and unleashed a rainbow that swished through the net at the precise moment the horn sounded to signal the end of regulation, then collapsed on the sideline.

It was the type of performance that Hollywood script writers would have drooled over. The only difference is, a writer likely would have changed the ending.

Eastern outscored East 10-5 in overtime to capture a 66-61 victory that featured the Vikings crowd storming the court when the final buzzer went off.

Left to explain his remarkable performance—which saw 14 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter—Silpe said he was asked to imitate one of the game’s all-time greatest players.

“Coach just told me to ‘act like Michael,’” Silpe said.

The 'Michael' East had coach Dave Allen was referring to was Michael Jordan. The situation he was referencing was Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, where Jordan shook off flu-like symptoms to score 38 points and lead the Chicago Bulls to a 90-88 victory over the Utah Jazz.

“I just kept on pushing and kept on pushing,” Silpe said. “My team helped me up.”

Silpe said he has been dealing with flu-like symptoms for the better part of a week-and-a-half. He knew he was in for a rough day when he woke up, but never gave a second’s thought to missing Thursday’s showdown.

“I missed three days of practice, but I knew I was going to play today because it was a big game,” said Silpe. “I wasn’t feeling great this morning, but I just had to fight through it.”

East entered the game with a seven-game winning streak that had vaulted the team toward the top of the Olympic Conference. The Cougars came out hot from beyond the arc, scoring all 12 of their first-quarter points from deep. Hank Davis was particularly hot, notching a trio of threes in the opening session.  

Eastern countered with a strong inside presence that kept the game close throughout. Neither team led by more than five points at any point in regulation. East looked like it was going to run out of gas in the fourth quarter, but Silpe’s high-arching shot at the buzzer bought the team a
second chance.

“I just prayed that that went in,” Silpe said.

The Vikings controlled overtime thanks to big plays from Avery Walker, who scored six of his game-high 24 points in the extra session.

Though the Cougars saw their winning streak end, Allen expressed a proudness in the team’s effort and refusal to back down late in the game.

“It was disappointing, but our coach was actually happy that we got there,” said Silpe. “We were struggling to come back in the game at the end. We got there, but it just didn’t happen in the end.”