METS find shooting touch at right time.
A combination of aggressive defense and cold shooting limited both teams in the boys’ final of the Wildcat Classic at the Episcopal Collegiate Sports Complex in Little Rock, but the eStem Mets did not miss when the game was on the line.
Making all 10 of their free throws in the final 48 seconds allowed the Mets to gain a 5649 victory over Little Rock Christian on Saturday.
“We made the run at the right time,” eStem Coach Josh Hayes said. “We put together defensive stops at the right time. I’m so proud because they controlled things the entire game, but we took over at the most important time.”
It was eStem’s second holiday tournament victory this month. On Dec. 14, eStem (136) completed a three-game run through the Battle at the Ridge in Pea Ridge with a 7858 victory over Arkadelphia.
“Winning two tournaments in a row is a first in school history, so this was big,” Hayes said. “This game should give us a lot of confidence.”
Little Rock Christian (4-5) led 21-16 at halftime, 37-36 at the end of the third quarter, fell behind 44-40 midway through the fourth, then tied the score at 44-44 with a slam dunk by sophomore center Creed Williamson with 2:15 left.
From that point, eStem did not miss a shot from the field or the free-throw line to win its ninth consecutive game.
“Down the stretch, they made their free throws, and that was the difference in the game,” Little Rock Christian Coach Clarence Finley said.
Senior guards Jacob Sanders and Dylan Sewell each scored 13 points to lead eStem. Sophomore forward Shamar Womack contributed nine.
Freshman guard Layden Blocker and senior forward William Wood led the Warriors with 13 points apiece. Williamson scored 12.
“I thought we played hard,” Finley said. “We just didn’t get some shots to fall in at the end of the game. We couldn’t get some rebounds when we needed them, and we couldn’t hit free throws.”
Little Rock Christian hit 1 of 9 free-throw attempts in the first half, and 5 of 11 in the second half. Estem was 1 of 6 from the line in the first half but 16 of 17 in the second. It was 5 of 9 from the field in the fourth quarter, including consecutive three-pointers by Sewell on eStem’s first two fourth-quarter possessions. The latter gave eStem a 42-40 lead with 6:20 left. It would not again trail.
“We’re an inconsistent shooting team,” Hayes said. “When we don’t see it going in early, sometimes it can affect our confidence. I told them, ‘We just have to grind out every quarter, and eventually our opponent will wear down.”
GIRLS JOE T. ROBINSON 55, EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE 39
Junior guard Alex Rouse scored 42 points to lead Joe T. Robinson to victory over Episcopal Collegiate.
Sophomore forward Avery Marsh scored 18 points to lead Episcopal Collegiate.