ROWLAND — The Red Springs boys basketball team took its three-game winning streak to South Robeson on Monday in a Three Rivers Conference boys basketball matchup. And for the first eight minutes, it looked to be well on its way to win No. 4. In the following 24 minutes, however, a trio of Mustangs seniors powered a well-earned 57-48 victory.
South Robeson (2-3, 2-2 TRC) guard Daniel Murray led the way with a game-high 15 points, and was freed up by head coach Ryan Bullard who moved him off the ball to be the primary shooting guard.
“A lot of people don’t give Murray a lot of credit,” said Bullard. “He’s a true two-guard…he’s a workhorse.”
At 5-foot-6, Murray usually serves as the primary ball handler on most nights, but against Red Springs (3-4, 3-2 TRC) he had the welcomed help of fellow senior Kylerr Page as they worked together to solve the 1-3-1 press defense. Once they beat the pressure, the two experienced guards thrived off easy scoring opportunities.
Coming into the second quarter trailing 11-6, Murray capped a 9-0 run when he knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Mustangs their first lead with 1:25 left in the period. He used his toughness around the rim to give the Red Devils fits in the second half.
With 7:30 to go in the fourth, he pushed past the defense in transition and converted a three-point play to grow their lead to 37-31. A few minutes later, with just 1:50 left in the game, Murray completed another transition layup, plus the foul, after the team picked up a steal. The basket and the foul gave the Mustangs a bit more breathing room and made the score 49-44.
“That’s always a part of the game plan, steals and defense,” Murray said. “We got all this talent, we just got to work together.”
Page finished with 14 points and in addition to being the primary ball handler, he too came up with some key baskets to quell the Red Devils momentum. The most notable instance came after Red Devils guard Jaylen Mack (8 points) tied it up at 44, deep into the fourth quarter, on a crafty layup. Page answered with a layup of his own as he burst to the rim to retake the lead, 46-44.
The third leg of the trio, senior center Cameron Werrell, provided a nice complement down low as he body defenders with his 6-foot-4, 300-pound frame. He ended with 12 points and 10 rebounds, his third double-double in the first five games of the season.
“[Werrell] is a double-double machine. He probably could have 20-30 points a game if he would stay down in the paint,” Bullard said of his imposing big man.
Red Devils guard Keagan Brayboy tried to counteract the Mustangs threesome, finishing with a team-high 13 points and eight rebounds. Brayboy hit a pull-up jumpshot that closed the gap to just four, 41-37, with 5:45 left in the game after his team had fallen behind by as much as nine.
But according to Bullard, there aren’t too many teams that can do anything to contain his group when his talented seniors are connected.
“When those three are hitting at the same time…we’re tough.” I’m just happy for them and am looking forward to the [Robeson County] Shootout,” Bullard said.
The two teams are back on the hardwood on Wednesday for the Shootout as South Robeson travels to Lumberton, while Red Springs heads to Purnell Swett.
Lady Red Devils use clutch baskets to win double-overtime thriller
ROWLAND — The Red Springs girls basketball team has thrived under pressure in their last two outings, including Monday night’s 46-44 double-overtime triumph at conference rival South Robeson. Senior forward Taylynn Atkinson fouled out in the team’s previous last-second victory over East Columbus. Though she fouled out again against South Robeson, Atkinson gave her team just enough of a boost to force the first overtime after they trailed in the late stages of the fourth.
With just 58 seconds left, she split a pair of free throws that narrowed the Lady Mustangs lead to one point, 33-32. On the next possession, down two, Atkinson drove the lane and banked in a layup at the buzzer to tie the score at 34 and send it to an extra period.
Red Springs coach Robert Dove was relieved to see his best player come through in the crucial moments down the stretch.
“She’s been struggling shooting the ball lately, but in the fourth quarter she came alive all of a sudden and started making some shots,” Dove said of Atkinson. “Tonight, we had some people step up and hit big shots in big moments and if you’re going to win a double-overtime thriller, somebody has to do that.”
Atkinson led the team with 16 points and nine rebounds, but it was Friday night’s hero, Jalexis Bratcher,who closed out the team’s second consecutive win.
When Atkinson fouled out in the second overtime with two minutes remaining, Bratcher went to the line on two separate occasions. The first time, she split a pair of free throws to give the Lady Red Devils a 45-44 lead, then after the team got a stop, she stepped up to the line and split another pair to make the score 46-44. Bratcher ended with 14 points.
The Lady Mustangs had opportunities to reverse the result, but came up just short every time. Senior forward Nytia Lewis was a dominant force, and ended with a monstrous double-double, 11 points and a game-high 24 rebounds. She fouled out in the second overtime, just after Atkinson, as she was called for a charge. Her frontcourt mate Hailey Werrell also posted a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds and tried to pick up the scoring slack. Her free throw with 1:32 left in the second overtime gave the Lady Mustangs a 44-41 advantage.
But Bratcher and the Lady Red Devils converted down the stretch, while the Lewis-less Lady Mustangs found it hard to take care of the ball and find easy scoring opportunities.
South Robeson (1-4, 1-3 TRC) visits Lumberton on Wednesday to open the Shootout and Red Springs (3-4, 3-2 TRC) travels to Purnell Swett.
