Facing an 18-point deficit late in the first quarter Friday, New Hope High School boys basketball coach Drew McBrayer saw a team he didn’t think was interested in facing the No. 2 team in the state.
The Trojans were beaten to loose balls, lost in transition, and settling for contested shots against the Meridian High Tigers.
Then Shemar Johnson took over.
The senior forward knocked down four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and scored 19 of his 27 points in the second half to lead the Trojans to a 58-56 comeback win.
Johnson’s second 3-pointer from the corner cut Meridian’s lead to 47-39 with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left in the fourth. It was the start of an 8-0 rally and a stretch in which Johnson had seven points and a steal to close the game.
“You could see it in his eyes that he was willing to throw this team on his back,” McBrayer said. “When he gets in a zone like that, he’s tough to defend.”
Johnson had competition matching his comeback efforts, too, as Meridian’s Joel Baskin nailed three of his four 3-pointers in the third quarter to finish with 12 points.
“He was talking a little trash,” Johnson joked of going back-and-forth with Baskin. “There were some compliments, too. But I started feeling it after that second one in the corner. They were laying back and I just kept shooting.”
The Trojans (7-4) fell behind 13-2 to begin the game and trailed 28-12 at halftime. McBrayer said he was disappointed with his team’s lackluster effort and implored his players to seize the moment against the Wildcats, who entered the game on a 10-game winning streak.
“I told them, ‘You’re gonna find out what kind of team you are,’ ” McBrayer said. “Are you gonna lay down or fight your tail off to get back in it? They brought a bit more energy in the third quarter, and when it got down to eight or nine, we turned it up defensively and it created some easy buckets.
“Then Shemar got hot.”
Johnson said the team’s focus in practice was in attacking Meridian’s 2-3 zone, particularly in making smart passes.
“We took a lot of jump shots in practice and worked on attacking the gaps,” Johnson said. “All week it felt like we’ve been working on our shots. Coach told me I’d end up hitting a double-and-1, and they’d end up trapping me. I ran the baseline and worked for the open shot.”
Terryonte Thomas had a layup and thunderous dunk to get the Trojans within 52-50 with three minutes left. A pair of 3-pointers by Johnson gave the Trojans their first lead, 56-54,
Meridian’s Brandon Miller (team-high 19 points) missed a desperation heave from half court at the buzzer.
New Hope starters were responsible for all of the team’s points. Thomas had 16, while Demyis Mayberry added eight.
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