West Point won for the third time in four games Friday night, as the Green Wave defeated West Lowndes 48-47.
Darrion Matthews knocked down two crucial three throws late in the second overtime period to finally pull away from the Panthers and earn a one-point victory.
“I think our seniors played a big role in the win. Jacorius (Hammond) and Darrion’s scoring in overtime really helped get us over the hump,” Yates said.
The Green Wave started the game trying to work the ball into the post, due to certain size advantages. West Point had success early on, jumping out to a 16-6 lead after the first quarter.
“We started to go to Demarius (Chandler) and we had some success there and took a nice lead of 12 points in the first half,” Yates said. “I made a couple substitutions to try and get some other kids involved, and I kind of had a lapse there with some of my underclassmen. From there on, it was a pretty tight game.”
West Point saw its 12-point lead get cut to five at halftime, as the Green Wave took a 25-20 lead into the locker room. A third-quarter basket by Hammond would be the only score for West Point in the third quarter. However, the Green Wave’s defense clamped down, allowing only seven points in the quarter, tying the game at 27-27 after three quarters.
The game was still knotted after regulation at 39 all and even after one overtime, the teams could not separate from one another. West Point was leading by three points with just seconds left in overtime when West Lowndes’ Dalen Rogers hit a three-pointer to force overtime.
“We gave too much space on the inbound,” Yates said. “They had the court vision to find the Rogers kid and he was able to get it off in just enough time. It definitely gave them confidence that they could compete with us, especially being on the road, as they were.”
The two Matthews free throws near the end of the second overtime was finally the difference for the Green Wave.
“It came down to Darrion at the line and he knocked down both free throws to give us a one-point lead. I pulled him aside and told him ‘Darrion, if you make these free throws, it’s going to be hard for them to win this game.’ That’s what he did. He made them,” Yates said. “He was hungry coming off the bench. It took him about a quarter to warm up, but he definitely stepped up in the fourth quarter and overtime when we needed him.”
Chandler and West Lowndes’ Quay Sanders each scored 14 to lead all scorers. Jacorius Hammond scored 13 points, while Darrion Matthews added 11, all of which came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
West Point will host Saltillo tonight in their first district game this season. The Tigers are 15-1 on the season and are currently on a nine-game winning streak.