WEST POINT — His team needed a play, so Willie Ousley made one.
And when the New Hope High School boys basketball team needed free throws down the stretch to close a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 1 tournament win against Saltillo, Ousley did that, too.
With New Hope protecting a one-point lead late in its first-round game Tuesday night, Saltillo had the ball and a chance to take the lead with less than 30 seconds remaining. But the Tigers were a bit out of control with the basketball and Ousley seized the opportunity.
“I saw the ball come a little loose, so I knew that was my chance,” said Ousley, whose steal took a possession away from the Tigers. “I know if I’m on the court in a big spot like that getting a steal is something I can do to help the team.”
That wasn’t all from Ousley, though. The guard calmly sank five consecutive free throws in the final 29 seconds to put the finishing touches on New Hope’s 57-56 win.
“We have a thing we do in practice every day where coach tells us to make five free throws in a row before we can go home,” Ousley said. “That’s what I did tonight.”
Ousley’s heroics helped New Hope advance to the region tournament’s championship game against Oxford at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The win also secured a spot in the Class 5A playoffs for the Trojans.
“To be able to make free throws down the stretch is key,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “That was playoff basketball in a nutshell. It wasn’t easy. It never is. You just have to scratch and fight for every win.”
That’s what New Hope did.
After splitting the regular-season series against the Tigers, the Trojans won the rubber match despite 16 turnovers and an off night from leading scorer Shemar Johnson, who scored 11 points on a 4-for-12 performance from the field.
Ousley, Darius Williams, and Jaylon Bardley — who combined for 26 points — helped pick up the slack. Bardley, a senior point guard, led the Trojans with 13 points.
“Last year, we lost in the first round, so we knew what was at stake,” Bardley said. “We had to fight through a really tough game, but we got the job done. We’ve been in a lot of tight games this season and won most of them, so we weren’t scared to be in a close game.”
Saltillo, which trailed 37-30 at halftime — thanks to a 30-foot 3-pointer by Johnson at the buzzer — chipped away at the deficit and took a 51-50 advantage with 4 minutes, 9 seconds remaining.
Down for the first time since early in the second quarter, New Hope responded with a fast-break layup by Williams that gave it the lead back with 3:20 to go. After Saltillo held the ball at midcourt for more than two minutes on its next possession, Ousley delivered his steal and subsequent free throws, while Bardley added a pair two to give New Hope a 56-51 lead.
New Hope led 57-53 in the final seconds before Saltillo’s Jason Smith hit a 3-pointer to account for the final margin.
“We struggled a lot tonight,” McBrayer said. “But we got rebounds and stops late, which is what we had to have to get out of here. Our guards really stepped up, especially at the end. You talk about Jaylon making plays, Willie making plays. We’ve had it like that all year, different guys stepping up and helping us win.”
The stops helped New Hope overcome a tremendous effort by Saltillo guards Jason and Jawon Smith and forward Reggie Miller. The threesome combined to score 42 points, including 22 of 26 in the second half.
Jason Smith led all scorers with 18 points, while Miller added 14 and Jawon Smith had 10.
Terryonte Thomas had 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for New Hope (20-7), the No. 2 seed.
Oxford 74, West Point 51
In the regular season, Oxford claimed the top seed in the region tournament thanks in part to two victories against West Point, the first by 25 points at home and the second by 26 points in West Point.
On Tuesday night, the Chargers used another 20-plus point victory to advance to the region’s title game.
“They are a really good team,” West Point coach Brad Cox said. “They put a lot of pressure on you defensively, and they don’t make a lot of mistakes. They forced us into some tough situations and we missed too many shots.”
The Green Wave battled back from a 14-4 hole and trailed 17-12 after one quarter. But an 18-9 spurt in the second quarter gave the Chargers separation. After leading 35-21 at halftime, the Chargers were never challenged in the second half.
Guard Ecurb Forest had a team-high 15 points for West Point. Nine of his points came in the second half. Kaelon Collins added 10 points for West Point.
Josh Gibbs had a game-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures for Oxford. Cortez Jones added 15, while D.K. Metcalf had 12 and Shelby McEwen had 10.
West Point (15-13) will play Saltillo at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in West Point. Saltillo, the No. 3 seed, beat West Point 52-50 two weeks ago.
“We’ve still got a chance to achieve our goals,” Cox said. “We have to bounce back against a very good team.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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