With about 15 seconds to play in Friday night’s matchup between visiting Warhill and Bruton, Warhill’s Elden Tyler went to the line for two with his team trailing 56-54.
Tyler hit the first to make it a one-point game before Lions head coach Justin Hayes took a timeout to talk over make-miss scenarios. Tyler’s second attempt rattled out, but a scenario that neither team anticipated played out next when Warhill’s Marcus Brooks came down with the offensive rebound and hit the putback to give the Lions a one-point lead.
It wasn’t over, though, as Bruton head coach Joe Dillard took a timeout with the Panthers set to inbound and 10 seconds left. Out of the stoppage, the ball went right to Bruton’s Marcus Carter, whose 19 points had carried the team for much of the night. Carter drove left and put up an off-balance runner that missed. This time, the rebound went to Bruton’s Chad Simmons, who went back up only to have his shot blocked. With time running short, Carter came up with the loose ball and put up a last-second attempt. It was no good, but a foul was called and Carter headed to the stripe with one second left and a chance to give the Panthers a decisive lead.
Instead, both shots rimmed out and a final Bruton putback attempt was no good as Warhill walked away with a 57-56 victory.
The win bumped Warhill’s Bay Rivers District record to 9-4 as they moved a game back of second-place Bruton, which dropped to 10-3 with the loss.
“It just so happened that we finally got an offensive rebound putback at the end and one of the best players in the district misses two free throws in the end,” Hayes said after the game.
For Bruton, the home loss was a tough pill to swallow following its three-point loss to Grafton Wednesday.
“We got a lot of things we wanted, we got the looks we needed,” Dillard said. “Maybe we can try to forget this one but it’s going to linger.”
With little output from its bench, the Lions got balanced production from its starters, with four scoring at least nine and three finishing in double-figures. Brandon Pugh led the team with 14 while Carter was the only to score in double-digits for the Panthers.
Warhill opened things with a 6-0 run before Bruton cut the difference to 1 with a short burst of its own. But for much of the first quarter a big rebounding advantage for the Lions was too much for the Panthers to overcome as the second began with Warhill leading 19-14.
For Bruton, the first half was all Carter, who led the way with 14 in the first half and almost singlehandedly put the Panthers back in the game in the second quarter. As Warhill cought the turnover bug, giving it away seven times in the second, the junior cut Warhill’s lead to four with a three-pointer, then back to four with another three before bringing the Panthers within two with a pair of free throws just before halftime.
“He gives me all the minutes, he gives me great energy,” Dilard said of Carter. “I can’t ask for too much more from him other than to be Superman, and that sometimes is what we see. … He doesn’t need to beat himself up over these results. Maybe [the missed free throws at the end] will be a lesson for him and that’ll be a great lesson for us.”
Carter cooled of in the third but Bruton’s Kapri Doucet picked up where he left off, scoring on back-to-back possessions to make it a 35-34 Warhill lead midway through the quarter. Doucet would finish with nine. Matching him was Pugh, whose four points in the quarter helped the Lions maintain their two-point advantage going into the fourth.
In the last quarter, Bruton finally broke through and took a four-point lead, but Warhill’s Jacary Crew tied it up with two free throws once the Lions got into the bonus with 1:41 to play. Bruton threw it away for a backcourt violation on its next possession, but the Lions gave it right back with a travel. Bruton’s Lonnie Swinton hit the Panthers’ last field goal to put Bruton up two before Tyler drew the foul.
“It was tit for tat all game,” Hayes said. “But that’s the way it went, and games go like that.”
Warhill 57 Bruton 56
Warhill- 19 10 15 13 – 57
Bruton- 14 13 16 13 – 56
Warhill- Pugh 14, Crew 22, Brooks 10, Dedmon 9, Tyler 6, Daye Jr. 4, Adahl 3. Totals 22 11-17; 57.
Bruton-Carter 19, Doucet 9, Simmons 8, Swinton 6, Sangalang 6, Wade 4, Hill 2. Totals 19 15-22; 56.
