There was no more appropriate way to settle things between
Perry High and Warner Robins High basketball players Saturday than with
overtime. {{more}}
Warner Robins, though, was without its main offensive weapon
for most of the four extra minutes. The Panthers would go on to outscore their
guests 13-5 and take the non-region victory at home 71-63.
K.J. Smith led Perry with 17 points, and senior back-up
Marquez Thomas had 14.
Two of Jamaal Garman’s back-up forwards, Nathan Curtis and
Donovan Brown, were the only Demons in double figures. With 11 points in the
fourth quarter, Curtis led everybody with 20 points. Brown added 12.
It was sharp-shooting senior guard Juvaun Shine, who had
nine points, who was practically unavailable for overtime as he fouled out at
the onset. Perry sank four free throws in a row and never trailed.
Warner Robins was down four, 64-60, when Jamal Bagley of
Perry intercepted a pass to Curtis inside. Turnovers were too common for the
Demons in overtime, and with 54 seconds to go Thomas scored from a Smith
assist.
Panther sophomore forward Jemarcus Davis suffered what
looked to be a frightening injury to the upper arm and shoulder area early in
the fourth quarter. He was iced and wrapped up there and did not play again.
Perry led by one when the quarter began, 39-38, and it was
41-40 at the time of the injury. There was not much of a delay, and the
Panthers went on to build one of the largest advantages either team saw as
Derrick Toliver put back a miss from the foul line (47-40).
Warner Robins found a way more than once to erase Perry’s
big leads, and eventually it was the Demons looking like victory would belong
to them. Shine’s 3-pointer brought the visitors within two, and Leon Perry went
end to end for 2 and a one-point game 48-47.
Smith and Bagley both caused turnovers leading to three
points, and after Curtis scored 2 from a put-back Smith sank a 3 for 53-49.
With less than three minutes to play, the Panthers still led by four on Smith’s
takeaway basket.
Adding to his earlier shot block, Curtis worked his way to a
three-point play. On a turnover, Brown fed Carlos Scott, who made the go-ahead
field goal at 56-55. Warner Robins had a rebound with one minute to play, but
missed the front end of a one-and-one. Thomas tied the game making just one of
two attempts at 23.8 seconds, but it was Shine’s baseline drive and pass off to
Curtis that put the Demons up 58-56.
Away from the basket, Smith drew a blocking foul. Just over
three seconds showed on the clock as he made both shots. That’s how things went
to overtime 58-58.
The Panthers led 13-11 after one quarter despite a situation
where personal fouls had coach Brett Hardy making four substitutions at once.
The home team’s first points, at 4:30, came from one of the subs, Thomas, and
that was a corner trey.
Down 7-3 via the work of Demon forward Stephone Raybon, the
Panthers scored six in a row … that is Smith scored all six. The game was tied
11-11 when Shine stole a bullet pass only to see Thomas take the basketball
back at midcourt. He threw an assist to Deonte Soloman for the 13-11 score.
The Panthers only trailed one time in the second quarter,
and that was 15-14 due to Leon Perry’s assist against the press to Curtis.
Brown also had a steal as did Scott, but when the Demons couldn’t capitalize
point guard Kevin Ford sank a 3-pointer.
Bagley connected on an awkward-looking hook shot inside, and
back-up guard Larry Felder put a steal and score together. Hardy’s team, however,
saw a 23-20 lead reduced when Brown scored off a Curtis block. Thomas and Ford
each connected on 3-balls, Ford’s coming at the 12-second mark. Those came
around a stick-back from Brown, but at the half the home club was up 29-25.
Two times in the third quarter Warner Robins took away the
lead only to see the Panthers reclaim it. The offensive board work of Curtis in
the opening minutes made sure the home crowd knew it was still going to be a
battle. After his three-point play, there was never a margin greater than three
for the whole eight minutes.
Raybon had two field goals with one assist coming from
Shine. Everything, in fact, was happening at the rims with Smith laying it in
on a break and Shine assisting Curtis’ post move. That gave the Demons a 34-33
lead, but Jalen Walker got it back taking a pass inside.
With 59 seconds to play, Leon Perry’s steal and assist to
Josh King put the Demons up 38-37. Bagley, active on defense, would be the one
to respond, and with it Perry was ahead going into the final period.
In the game, Ford and Felder each had eight points. Walker
and Bagley each had six. Raybon finished with nine for Warner Robins.
• Perry defeated Howard at home Friday, 51-36, for a Region
2-AAAA win. Smith scored 15 points, nine in the fourth quarter. The Panthers,
who trailed 7-4 after one quarter, went 9-for-10 in free throws in the fourth.
Seven of Hardy’s players scored in a 22-point second quarter, which made it
22-13 at the half.
Bagley had nine points.
HHJ News
