JACKSONVILLE – When Cedar Bluff desperately needed sophomore guards Davion Fife and Isaiha Jones and junior forward Rashawn Woods the most, they stepped up to force overtime.
But in the extra session, Winterboro went on a 12-3 run to take a 67-58 victory in the Class 1A Northeast Regional basketball semifinals at Jacksonville State University on Thursday.
Trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, the trio helped lead a second-half surge that was enough to force overtime.
Winterboro (19-10) advances to Monday’s regional final where it will face top-ranked Sacred Heart. Number 10 Cedar Bluff’s season ends at 18-12.
“We fought hard, but they’re very athletic,” said Cedar Bluff coach Joe Carpenter, whose team trailed by as many as 14 in the second quarter. “The bottom line is they busted their tail. We couldn’t hit a shot in the first quarter. We dug ourselves a hole. They fought back out of that and tied it up to take it to overtime. I can’t ask any better from this bunch of guys. They put it on the line, but time ran out on us tonight.”
Fife, who led the Tigers with 17 points (15 in the second half and overtime) and five rebounds, tied the game at 44 on a 3-pointer with 5:19 to go in regulation. He tied the game again at 47 on a layup with 3:43 left.
The Bulldogs didn’t back down. They went on a 6-0 run within a minute to regain the lead at 53-47. Jones and Woods tied the game again on back-to-back treys, with Woods’ 3-pointer coming at the 1:40 mark.
Woods gave the Tigers their first lead of the game at 55-53 on a rebound and putback with 40 seconds to go, but Winterboro countered with a rebound and putback of its own by Khalil Keith. Both teams had their chances in the waning moments of regulation, but things were all knotted at 55 when the buzzer sounded.
Fife scored all three Tiger points in overtime, but Winterboro managed to use its size to put the game away.
Keith and Leon Estelle led the Bulldogs with 20 points apiece. Keith also grabbed 15 rebounds and Estelle added seven boards. D’ontae Graham finished with 13 points, six boards and two assists. Quinton Hale had six points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Jones connected on four treys and finished with 15 points, six boards and two assists. Woods and Michael Croft contributed a pair of treys apiece. Both finished with 10 points. Woods also grabbed 12 rebounds.
“We made it here and we’re proud to be here,” Carpenter said. “It’s an accomplishment to be here. We’re still young. I think our program is doing well because of the work they do and the steps they’re taking.”
Girls
Winterboro 58, Cedar Bluff 57
JACKSONVILLE – Cedar Bluff senior point guard Delilah Price scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half against Winterboro and had a chance to tie the game with two seconds left at the free-throw line.
She sank the first but missed the second, which fell into the arms of Winterboro’s Taniya Garrett, allowing Winterboro to secure a 58-57 victory in the Class 1A Northeast Regional semifinals in Jacksonville on Thursday.
Seventh-ranked Winterboro (23-4) advances to face fourth-ranked Spring Garden in the regional final on Monday. Tenth-ranked Cedar Bluff’s season ends at 19-11.
“We always fight through adversity, but this time, it didn’t end well for us,” said Price, who helped Cedar Bluff rally from a 14-point deficit in the second quarter. “You always have to make adjustments in basketball. The same thing doesn’t work over and over again. I feel like we adjusted pretty well. They were taller than us, so we had to adjust in the post. You’ve got to think of how to get around that.”
And the Lady Tigers did just that, thanks to their defensive pressure.
A steal by Alexis Smith and bucket brought the Lady Tigers within a point at 49-48 with 3:56 remaining. Smith was also fouled on the play, but missed what would have been the game-tying free throw.
Cedar Bluff tied the game again at 53 on a steal and layup by Kiana Dobbins with 1:29 to go. Winterboro stretched its lead back out to four on a bucket by Anslea Twymon and a pair of free throws from Aniya Burroughs, but Smith brought the Lady Tigers within a point again at 57-56 on a basket and free throw with 33.3 seconds remaining.
The back end of a pair of free throws by Zamiya Shields gave Winterboro a 58-56 lead with 7.9 seconds left.
Smith in-bounded the ball to Price, who drove the lane and was fouled by Garrett with just two ticks left on the clock.
“They truly played great, but they were exhausted,” Carpenter said. “They pushed through to get to the end of the game, and they were able to tie it up. We told them at halftime we had been down 14 points before and ended up winning, and that we could do this. They kept fighting back and played hard.”
Price added nine rebounds and four assists to go along with her 21 points. Smith contributed nine points and six boards. Dobbins delivered eight points and four boards. Marigrace Wilson and Ollina McClellan both had six points. Wilson also pulled down nine boards and McClellan had five.
“It’s been a great season, one of the best seasons in my life,” Price said. “These girls have the best attitudes I’ve ever seen. Every one of us laid everything on the line. It just didn’t turn out well for us.”
Twymon led the Lady Bulldogs with 25 points, 16 rebounds and a pair of assists. Aniya Burroughs contributed 12 points and 12 boards. Garrett had nine points and six rebounds. Nadia Estelle finished with five points and five boards.