Sharife Cooper and Isaiah Mobley Come Up Big in Charge Nail-Biter

CLEVELAND, OH – Following a big comeback victory on Friday night, the Cleveland Charge welcomed the Lakeland Magic back to the Wolstein Center. Jamorko Pickett was coming off a great 24-point performance to help lead the Charge to victory. The Magic had lost 5 of their last 6 games coming into the matchup. It was Superman Night at the Wolstein Center for the game. They were looking for another Superman-type performance to please the young fans in attendance and win their 3rd straight game.

Charge Come Out Strong

Through the first few minutes of the game, the Charge struggled on the defensive glass. That quickly changed as Jamorko Pickett and Isaiah Mobley were taking control of the boards. While the scoring did not come quickly, the Charge kicked into gear. They closed the 1st quarter on a 19-5 scoring run. Cleveland was led by Sharife Cooper and Isaiah Mobley who each contributed 6 points. At the end of the first quarter, the Charge led the Magic 28-18.

Lakeland Takes Charge in the Second

The Lakeland Magic took over the game early in the second quarter. Patient offense and open looks were the key for the Magic. They opened their biggest lead of the game with about 4 minutes to go in the quarter, leading 50-41. They were led by the trio of Zavier Simpson, Drake Jeffries, and Joel Ayayi who combined for 19 points in the 2nd quarter. The Charge were not going to let the game get away from them though. The combination of defensive stops and consistent offense helped the Charge close the half on a 13-4 scoring run. Heading into halftime the game was all knotted up at 54. Isaiah Mobley led the way for Cleveland with 14 points.

Cleveland Regains Control

The Charge picked up where they left off to start the 2nd half. The bigs played a big part in the offensive success early. Isaiah Mobley continued his offensive output by scoring 8 early points in the 3rd quarter. Those 8 points increased his game-high total to 22 points. Sharife Cooper got heavily involved in the offensive game as well. He added 10 points in the third quarter, pushing his game total to 18 points to go along with 6 assists. For the Magic, Zavier Simpson continued his strong night, adding 6 points in the 3rd quarter to give him 18 through 3. After the third, the Charge led the Magic 87-79.

Cleveland Closes in Style

WHAT AN ENDING#CHARGEUP pic.twitter.com/QzsWYZ96FS

— Cleveland Charge (@ChargeCLE) February 26, 2023

For much of the 4th quarter, the Magic were slowly cutting into the Charge’s lead. With just over 1:30 left in the game, Lakeland’s Zavier Simpson tied the game at 98 with a free throw. After a defensive stop, the Magic came right back down and took the lead with a 3-pointer from Caleb Houstan with just under a minute to play. After a Sharife Cooper layup and 2 missed free throws from Zavier Simpson, the Charge had possession with 23 seconds left. Out of a timeout, Sharife Cooper took a drive to the basket and finished a difficult layup to give the Charge a 102-101 lead with 15 seconds to play. On the other end, Isaiah Mobley blocked a potential game-winning shot with time expiring. After the game, Coach Mike Gerrity said this about Cooper, “He’s been our closer for the most part all year and he’s kind of been Mr. 4th Quarter for us… It was a play we ran, and he made a spectacular play to finish.” 

Key Players

Cleveland Charge:

Isaiah Mobley: 24 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks

Sharife Cooper: 22 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds

Mamadi Diakite: 16 points, 5 rebounds

Lakeland Magic:

Zavier Simpson: 19 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds

Caleb Houstan: 18 points, 5 rebounds (off the bench)