Beaumont United denies crown to Zebras in 53-52 showdown
The newest kings of King Cotton hail from Beaumont, Texas, and they were not to be denied the throne a second year in a row.
Wesley Yates made a well-contested 7-foot pullup as time expired, giving Beaumont United the King Bracket championship of the King Cotton Holiday Classic, 53-52 over hometown favorite Pine Bluff High School on Thursday.
“I work on those shots every single day,” said Yates, a 4-star shooting guard and University of Washington signee who scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half. “I just want to thank my coach and teammates for believing in me. I know I’ve been struggling the past two games, but I thank my teammates for believing in me.”
Yates was named Classic MVP after scoring 22 points against Sidwell Friends School (Washington, D.C.) on Tuesday and 9 against Jonesboro in Wednesday’s 41-38 nightcap.
United (17-1), the two-time Texas 5A state champion, won a neck-and-neck battle in the Pine Bluff Convention Center over the Zebras (9-6), who have never won the championship in the near 40-year history of the Classic.
(This year’s tournament was the 21st overall and fourth in the past five years.) A year ago, the Timberwolves finished second to eventual 6A state champion North Little Rock in a bracket final.
Until Yates’ heroics, the long-awaited crown was set to rest in Pine Bluff after University of Missouri football signee Jordon Harris made 1 of 2 free throws with 19.1 seconds left to give the Zebras their first lead since 2:27 left in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves brought the ball past half-court and called timeout with 10.1 seconds left to set up the final play. They turned to Yates, who went 7 for 17 for the game but collected 4 assists and 3 rebounds to keep United afloat.
Yates took the inbound pass near halfcourt, shook off a defender at the top of the key and drew a double-team before launching the nothing-but-net shot.
Trealyn Porchia had the early hot hand for the Timberwolves with 13 of his 15 points in the first half. Kayde Dotson added 13 points in the victory.
Courtney Crutchfield powered Pine Bluff with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 3 dunks. Crutchfield made 11 of 22 from the floor, a bright spot for the Zebras as they were held to 19-for49 shooting (38.8%). United made 20 of 44 (45.5%).
Crutchfield made his first slam just 7 seconds into the game, an early sign that United would have to work all 32 minutes for the championship.
“It was a very intense game,” Crutchfield, a junior, said. “They came out ready to play. We came out ready to play. We banged head-tohead. Shout out to them for coming down here making a statement.”
Both teams struggled at the foul line. United was 11 for 21, and Pine Bluff 12 for 21. Pine Bluff outrebounded United 40-34, matching United’s physicality.
Pine Bluff will resume 5A-South Conference play Tuesday at Hot Springs Lakeside. The near-victory Thursday will help a Zebras team that has won the past two conference titles and will likely contend for the 5A crown.
“That’s a high-level team,” Crutchfield said of United. “They won state back-to-back. It was very good seeing where we were against a high-level team.”