WEST POINT — All New Hope girls basketball had to do was find a way to run the clock out and keep possession of the basketball.
The Trojans led West Point, 50-41, with roughly two minutes left in Friday night’s district game, needing an error-free end to the game for a 2-0 start to district play.
Instead, New Hope couldn’t find a way over halfcourt as a plethora of turnovers and fouls got the Green Wave back into the game.
It came down to a key possession late as West Point senior forward Terica Smith got the ball down low and not only got the go-ahead layup, but was fouled, too, sending the Green Wave faithful into a frenzy. That bucket proved to be the game-winner in a wild 51-50 West Point win.
“Words can’t describe how excited I am,” Smith said. “I’m still excited now. I just don’t know how to explain how excited I was when I made it.”
What was a 15-point New Hope (5-4, 1-1 in district) lead at one point in the third quarter quickly dissipated in the final seconds of the game.
While West Point (4-4, 2-0 in district) took a one-point lead, there was still plenty of time left for the Trojans to come down and sink a game-winner or send things into overtime.
Following Smith’s missed free throw after her layup, New Hope elected not to take a timeout with 10 or so seconds left to set up a play.
Instead, the Trojans came down, finding an open player with a pass, but the ball went right through her hands, sealing a Green Wave victory.
“There were a lot of breakdowns,” New Hope head coach Nick Christy said. “We knew that was their game plan at the end of games. It was a base man press and we didn’t handle it. That’s just the short of it. … We had plays to be made. We didn’t make them and at the end of the day, West Point did.”
Smith finished with seven points, her bucket at the end being the biggest, but it was a well-balanced attack overall from West Point.
Senior Dukiaha Jones had 14 points up top for the Green Wave, and forward Tyquashia McMillan might have had the biggest impact down the stretch, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter alone.
A great second-half and fourth-quarter press, plus clutch plays from West Point, sealed arguably its most exciting win this season.
“I told the girls at halftime, we just have to play with some energy,” West Point head coach Tez Calvert said. “We have to take it. We’re the underdogs, everywhere we go. Even when we’re at home, we play like we’re the underdogs. … I knew it was going to come down to it. … We didn’t get every stop, but we got the key ones.”
New Hope boys 66, West Point 59
New Hope, which came into Friday’s game unbeaten, continued its unbeaten run, improving to 11-0 with an impressive all-around performance in a seven-point win over West Point. The final score, however, isn’t fully indicative of how the Trojans dominated for much of the game.
The Trojan lead was stretched out to 19 points in the third quarter, and from the end of the first quarter to that point, there was a 22-point New Hope swing, completely turning the game on its head.
“We played really well on both ends of the floor,” New Hope head coach Drew McBrayer said. “We made it difficult for them to score at times. I thought we did a good job with their big guys, forcing them to make shots over top of us. Offensively, we executed well.”
That well-executed offense was led by senior Isaace Grady, someone who really didn’t play much of the fourth quarter, but put up 21 points in three quarters, sinking five three-pointers.
He was one of three Trojans (11-0, 2-0 in district) on the night to score in double-figures and looked unstoppable on the floor.
“It was a heck of a game,” McBrayer said. “A leader and a playmaker and a heck of a one at that. You’ve seen the development over the years and he just continues to grow and grow. He’s become very difficult to guard and plays great defense too. We’re sure glad he’s on our team.”
West Point (6-3, 1-1 in district) looked down and out of this game, especially during the third quarter, but the Green Wave fought back, cutting the deficit to single-digits late.
It didn’t make a difference as time ran out on a comeback, but it’s a great sign moving forward in district play.
“We preach play until the horn,” West Point head coach Marquis Burnett said. “Guys still played hard the whole game and played until the end.”
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