BY BRIAN HAMILTON
SEYMOUR – Austin-East and Seymour battled it out Saturday night for the third time in eight days and the result was no different — a hard fought slugfest where neither team deserved to lose. Seymour took the first game last Friday night 50-45, and Austin-East won the second game at home 69-66 last Monday night.
On Saturday, the teams battled back and forth and it took two overtimes to declare a winner. The Roadrunners missed a potential game-winner in regulation, but down three in the first overtime, Antonio Stewart nailed a three to force double overtime. Austin-East was able to get enough stops and convert enough free throws in the second overtime to come away with a 63-59 win and a berth in the district championship on Tuesday.
Austin-East’s Spencer Moore (23) goes up for a basket during the Roadrunners’ double-overtime win on Saturday night. Photo by Brian Hamilton
“They’re a well-coached team and they play to their strengths the whole game,” Austin-East head coach Denard Bertram said after the game. “Here’s what I must say: Let’s give Coach (Clint) Sharp all the credit in the world to how he’s turned this program around. If you watch their games, it doesn’t matter how much they’re down, they’re due one big quarter because they don’t stop and we knew that was going to be the case tonight. We built a 10-point lead, we knew that they were going to punch back. They were not just going to lay down. In three games, its been a slugfest and I hope we don’t have to see them again.”
Seymour threw the first punch with a three, but Austin-East’s Justin Pruitt hit a three to tie the game at 3-3 with 6:28 left in the first quarter. Jack McAbee would answer on the other end with a three to give Seymour a 6-3 lead. A layup by Hayes Golden would put the Eagles in front 8-3 with 3:27 left.
Austin-East would roar back on a 5-0 run and tie the game at 8-8 after D’Andre Hundley hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:09 left in the first quarter. Hundley would make layup with 1:05 left in the quarter to tie the score at 11-11.
David Canterbury sank a pair of free throws to give Seymour a 13-12 lead with 38 seconds left, but Julius Young hit a layup at the buzzer to give the Roadrunners a 14-13 lead after one quarter.
Austin-East took a 17-13 lead when Pruitt hit his second three of the game early in the second quarter. A pair of free throws by LeeKori Curry and a pair by Hundley stretched the Roadrunner lead to 21-13 with 3:26 left before the half.
Golden drained a three with just over two minutes remaining to cut the Eagles’ deficit to 23-17, but a jumper by Antonio Stewart would push the Austin-East lead back to 25-17.
Pruitt was fouled and made a pair of free throws with four seconds remaining in the half to send Austin-East to the locker room with a 27-18 lead.
Seymour would pull to within 27-20 on a layup by Golden to open the third quarter, but an Austin-East three-pointer would stretch the lead back to 10, at 30-20.
Canterbury hit a layup to cap a 6-0 Seymour run and trimming the Eagles’ deficit to 32-26 with 4:34 left in the quarter. Another layup by Canterbury would make the score 34-30 with 2:48 remaining.
A pair of Pruitt free throws put Austin-East in front 37-30, but Golden countered by scoring a layup with 27 seconds left to make the score 37-32. Austin-East would lead 39-34 at the end of the third quarter.
The Roadrunners stretched the lead to 45-37 early in the fourth quarter, but a pair of baskets by Seymour would trim that lead to 45-41 with 4:02 remaining. A three-pointer by Canterbury pulled the Eagles to within 45-44 with 2:34 to go.
It didn’t help that Austin-East missed six consecutive free throws while Seymour was climbing back into the game.
Seymour’s David Canterbury (13) drives the lane for a basket. The senior finished with 16 points on the night. Photo by Brian Hamilton
Seymour finally took the lead for the first time since the first quarter when McAbee sank two free throws to put the Eagles in front 46-45. Austin-East was fouled on the other end and a pair of free throws by Young gave the Roadrunners a 47-46 lead with 1:56 left.
Golden was fouled on a loose ball late in the fourth quarter and was sent to the line for two. The senior made 1-of-2 free throws to tie the game at 47-47. Austin-East missed a shot at the buzzer and the game headed to overtime.
Austin-East scored the first basket of overtime, but Jonas Black hit a jumper to tie the game at 49-49. Canterbury hit a jumper to put the Eagles in front 51-49 with just over two minutes left in overtime.
Seymour would later stretch the lead to 53-50 on a pair of Golden free throws, but Pruitt was fouled on the other end and made both foul shots to make the score 53-52 with 40 seconds left.
Golden was again fouled on the next Seymour possession, making both for a 55-52 lead. Austin-East needed a three to send the game to another overtime, as Pruitt took a three and missed, but the miss was rebounded and kicked out to Antonio Stewart, who was wide open at the top of the key, and drained the shot to tie the game at 55-55.
“It’s just situational basketball with our guys understanding the moment,” Seymour coach Clint Sharp said. “It’s a three-point game, they go and set a screen and they both go with the roller and give up a wide open three, and then on top of that, once he misses, five guys just run to the rim instead of going and boxing out and so they just kick right out to a shooter. It’s a three-point game, so if they get a put back, we’re still winning. It’s just situational basketball that we’re still learning.”
Seymour’s Reid Russell’s layup attempt was blocked at the buzzer, which sent the game into double overtime.
The Eagles took an early 57-55 lead in the second overtime, but four straight points by Hundley would put Austin-East ahead 59-57 with 1:16 left. Seymour was unable to get anything to fall in the second overtime, as Austin-East took a commanding 63-57 lead on a Young fast break layup.
Seymour would have an opportunity to get back in the game with less than 10 seconds left, however, as Austin-East committed a foul and received a technical, which would net four free throws and ball for Seymour with no time coming off the clock. If managed correctly, Seymour would trail 63-61 and be inbounding for a game-tying or game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Instead, Golden split a pair of free throws and then Canterbury only made 1-of-2 on his pair of foul shots. That took the game pretty much out of reach, barring a 4-point play. Golden missed the three at the buzzer, giving Austin-East a 63-59 win and a trip to face Fulton in the district championship on Tuesday night.
“We have to be relentless all the time,” Bertram said. “A game is never over until the horn blows, and those are situations that we’ve been in. We’ve been in four overtime games this year and we lost to Farragut in a similar game early in the year and we just talk about it’s lessons. Even though you lose, it is a lesson, and we had to continue to play.”
Sharp thought his team played well enough to win, but was frustrated about some of the execution down the stretch.
“These older guys have been through so many years of losing, that I think at the end of the game, no matter how many times we’ve practiced the end of the game (situations), they just panic and forget what they’re supposed to do,” Sharp said. “We just falter. I mean, we have nine losses now and eight of them are by single digits. We’re right there and we fight so hard to get there, but at the end of the game it’s just we forget what gets us there.”
Hayes Golden scored a game-high 21 points, while David Canterbury finished with 16 for the Eagles.
Justin Pruitt led Austin-East with 16 points, while D’Andre Hundley finished with 13. Antonio Stewart and Juilus Young each added nine apiece for the Roadrunners.
Austin-East (18-11) will face Fulton (19-9) on Tuesday night for the district title at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night, while Seymour (19-9) will play Carter (15-16) in the consolation game at 6 p.m.
“That’s a rivalry, this place will be rocking in here Tuesday night,” Bertram said. “Coach (Jody) Wright and the job he does and the way those guys are going to defend, he’s going to have them well-prepared and we’ll be well-prepared, but in tournament play, what it boils down to is not so much the preparation to win, but the will to win and who’s going to break who’s will first. We’re excited to be in this position. Any time you can tip it up against a Jody Wright-coached team and see where you fare, its always a good situation.”