Watson Chapel wins see-saw affair
WATSON CHAPEL 54, SYLVAN HILLS 51
The script couldn’t have unfolded any better for Watson Chapel than what it did during Tuesday’s matinee at Sylvan Hills — even if there was an impromptu element to it.
Marcus Strong nailed a three-pointer with 7.4 seconds left to put the Wildcats ahead to stay in a 54-51 victory at Bears Arena in Sherwood.
The junior guard’s goahead shot served as the final blow for Watson Chapel (5-4) in a mid-day matchup packed full of alternating swings.
There were nine lead changes in the second half, including four in the fourth quarter, before Strong’s bucket. Sylvan Hills (5-2) did have a chance to tie it, but DaCarter Coleman missed a 21-footer at the buzzer.
“I tell you what, I’m glad [Strong] hit it because that wasn’t what was drawn up,” said a laughing Watson Chapel Coach Marcus Adams. “It was supposed to be something else, but one thing I like about Marcus is that he’s relentless. He’s so confident, and I’m just super, super proud of him for stepping up and knocking it down.”
Adams’ praise wasn’t reserved for just Strong, who finished with 11 points. The fourth-year coach said he was happy with his team as a whole, especially after coming off losses to Stuttgart and Russellville in the Wildcats’ previous two games.
Watson Chapel was still without senior big man Antwon Emsweller, who’s not expected to return until after the new year, but the Wildcats had two others join Strong in double figures. Christopher Fountain had 15 points, 8 rebounds and 2 steals, while Khamani Cooper ended with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Hampton Hall also supplied 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
Coleman’s 14 points led a strong effort from Sylvan Hills, which answered Watson Chapel shot for shot the majority of the way. It was Coleman’s pull-up jumper with 1:31 to go that tied it at 51-51. He also managed to get off a decent look on the Bears’ last possession after creating some separation from a Wildcats defender. However, the shot sailed just left of the rim.
“Coming off semester tests, we kind of needed this game to stay fresh, stay active,” Sylvan Hills Coach Kevin Davis said. “We had some football guys we got integrated, too, and that allowed us to play a lot of players. But despite all of that, on top of it being an early afternoon game, I thought we played well.
“I did feel like we had a lot of missed opportunities. That’s going to happen some when you’re putting a lot of new bodies in situations, particularly kids that hadn’t been on the floor normally. They’re still trying to feel each other out a little bit, both offensively and defensively.”
James Deloach had 12 points and eight rebounds, while Trey Tippin added 11 points and five steals for the Bears, who shot 43.4% (23 of 53) compared to 50% (22 of 44) for the Wildcats. Shamar Womack finished with eight points and six rebounds. Sylvan Hills committed just seven turnovers, which enabled it to counter everything Watson Chapel did.
The Wildcats were ahead 23-20 at halftime, but the Bears were able to lead by as much as 35-31 in the third quarter after a three-point play by Womack with 1:33 remaining. Watson Chapel later regained the advantage and held a 47-43 lead with 4:40 left in the fourth following a basket from Strong.
A putback by Fountain later pushed the Wildcats’ margin to 49-46 a few possessions later, but a three-pointer by Womack eventually tied it.
The teams then exchanged buckets over the next 49 seconds until Strong knocked down his 22-footer — his third three-pointer of the game — to subsequently win it for Watson Chapel.
“Just being physical and tough is what has kept us going,” Adams said. “Guys know we don’t have the big kid in the middle right now, and over the last couple of games, we’ve been getting our butt kicked on the glass. But I thought [Tuesday], rebounding was a big key because we’ve worked on that a lot.
“We played tougher and rebounded the ball way better than what we have been doing. We had a couple of bad breakdowns in spurts during the crucial parts of the game, but the guys settled down and did what they needed to do.”