JACKSON — There were no tears.
CJ Smith merely turned after his 3-point heave fell short and walked to his left to begin shaking hands with the Ashland High School players.
Minutes later, with uniform tucked away for the season, Smith eyed the final stat sheet and was asked what stood out.
“Free throws,” the West Lowndes High junior point guard said.
Despite scoring a game-high 30 points and being the best player on the floor, Smith’s eyes immediately moved to his free throw shooting — 10-for-18 — and his team’s performance from the free-throw line — 19-for-31 — as key factors in West Lowndes’ 71-67 loss to Ashland in the quarterfinals of the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 1A State tournament at Jackson State’s Williams Assembly Center.
“You can’t make them all,” West Lowndes first-year head coach Torrey Dale said. “You can’t put that game on any one or two plays and say that is why we won or lost. You definitely don’t want to do that.
“You look at the state line and you’re talking about a point guard who played the whole game. Ashland subbed. This guy played the whole 32 minutes. I can’t take anything away from my point guard. My point guard did everything I asked him to do and I am proud of him.
Reigning Class 1A champion Ashland (26-6) will play Houlka, which defeated Piney Woods 82-73 on Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
West Lowndes saw its season end at 18-14. Starters Devon Chandler (11 points) and Darius Harkins (nine points) and reserve Courtney Stovall (six points, eight rebounds) fouled out on a day the Panthers were called for 29 of the game’s 54 fouls. The teams combined to shoot 67 free throws.
Three of the biggest came with 5.4 seconds remaining and West Lowndes trailing 69-66. Smith tried to launch a 3-pointer and the top of the key, but he was fouled as he tried to work between two defenders. His first free throw hit nearly every part of the rim before rolling in.
“I was thinking, ‘Lord, please let it go in,’ ” Smith said.
Smith said he looked at the clock after the second attempt pinballed in and out. He said his body language said the game was over, be he said his mind kept telling him the team still had a chance. Unfortunately, he didn’t get enough leg into the third attempt, which grazed the front of the rim.
Cadarrius Crumb rebounded the miss and hit two free throws with 4.5 seconds to play to seal the deal. The free throws capped a fourth quarter that saw the Blue Devils go 15-for-21 from the line in the final eight minutes. Ashland was in the double bonus at the 7:05 mark of the fourth quarter.
Dale said fouls played a role in the outcome.
Ashland also switched its defense at the start of the fourth quarter trailing 51-45. Instead of trying to check Smith with one player, the Blue Devils jump trapped him when he crossed midcourt in an attempt to get the ball out of his hands.
“It slowed us down,” Smith said. “It slowed me down from getting to my spots and getting my team involved and getting me back on top of my game. But I have to be ready for that.”
Turnovers also hurt the Panthers’ cause. West Lowndes committed three critical turnovers and allowed a key offensive rebound that enabled Ashland to re-gain the lead, 57-55, on a 3-pointer with 4:15 to play. The Blue Devils inched out to as big as a four-point lead in the final minutes, but the Panthers stayed within hailing distance and had a chance at the end thanks to a missed free throw by DeAnthony Tippler (ties for team-high scoring honors with 17 points).
Unfortunately, Smith was left to contemplate what might have been if he had made a few more free throws, including two in the third quarter that were part of a critical stretch in which the Panthers failed to build on a five-point lead. West Lowndes missed four shots from the field — all were good looks — that could have helped them gain separation and might have changed to outcome.
“Every time we had a chance to break away Ashland found a way to force us into a quick turnover,” Dale said. “I am not going to take anything away from coach Tipler. Those guys came with a good game plan — just like us — and executed. This is the way you want to go out, in a dogfight. I am proud of the way our guys competed and bought into me this season and what we were trying to do.”
Smith, who was 8-for-17 from the field (4 of 9 from 3-point range), said he planned to be in the gym all day today to spend “hours” working on his free throws. He said he was proud of his growth and the maturation of his teammates this season, but he knows the Panthers had plenty of opportunities to extend their season and earn some revenge from a 60-49 loss to Ashland in the 2016 Class 1A State title game. Smith didn’t have nearly as much of an impact on that game as he did Wednesday, but he said he intends to come back next season even better to help the Panthers go all of the way.
“I feel a sense of urgency,” Smith said. “I really want to go back to these 10 seconds and I wish I could have made the free throws and start everything over and we get the win. But next year we will try to get back and win.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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