2nd-half surge lifts Red Devils
Three games into the season, Mountain Pine has staked its claim as a Class 2A contender.
Three days after a thrilling 53-52 win over Class 5A White Hall, the Red Devils rode a third-quarter rally to a 79-66 win over Class 3A Jessieville in the final game of the Lakeside Classic tournament Tuesday night at Lakeside Athletic Complex.
The game was called with 55 seconds remaining after a fight broke out on the court.
“It shows that we’re on the right path,” Mountain Pine coach LaMont Page said. “I thought with everybody coming back, that I had a team that could make some noise. I scheduled these tournament games against bigger schools because I wanted to challenge my team and see what they’re made of. Winning these games over a 5A school and a 3A school lets me know that we’re ahead of schedule. We feel like we can compete with anybody in our conference and in our division.”
Trailing by as much as 11 points in the second quarter, Mountain Pine stormed back thanks to a scoring outburst from Fay Haywood and Lashawn Reed.
Reed scored 10 points in the second quarter while Haywood chipped in with eight as the Red Devils pulled within 37-36 at the half.
“We started attacking the basket instead of settling for outside shots,” said Page. “Instead of looking for an outside shot or hoping that one guy would bail us out, we started playing our style of basketball and it allowed us to get back into the game.”
After seven quick points by Jessieville’s Braxton Shifflett to open the third quarter, Mountain Pine tightened up its defense to take control of the game.
A basket by Haywood and a 3-pointer from Kwin Staggers sparked a 17-2 run as the Red Devils took a commanding 60-46 lead.
The Lions pulled within 61-51 at the end of the third after two foul shots by Alex Burleson and a 3-pointer from Chase Pedersen.
Despite scoring just two points in the third quarter, Burleson finished with a team-high 27 points.
“He knows there’s no doubt that he’s our number one option every time he’s on the floor,” Jessieville coach Jared White said. “When the ball is in his hands, he’s a threat to score, but it’s not just offense; he’s doing everything for us right now. I thought his effort defensively has been great the last couple games.”
Jessieville trimmed the gap to 66-59 midway through the fourth, but got no closer. Haywood and Josh Walpole each scored six points down the stretch
for Mountain Pine to secure the win.
Jessieville’s Dalton McClard set the final margin with a 3-pointer in the final minute before the game was called.
Leading 18-10 at the end of the first quarter, the Lions found themselves in foul trouble early in the second, allowing Mountain Pine to claw its way back with nine freethrows in what proved to be the turning point of the game.
“We controlled the first quarter, but they got into the bonus pretty quick in the second and the momentum switched at that point,” White said. “It was deflating. Other than some bad fouls, we felt like we were in control of the game. Credit to Mountain Pine, they knocked their free throws down and we didn’t do a good job of protecting the rim.”
One of four Red Devils in double figures, Haywood finished with a team-high 22 points, including 14 in the second half.
“Fay is the best athlete on the team, if not the best player,” said Page. “He’s an unselfish player, but I’ve been challenging him to be more aggressive. As a running back in football, he has a lot of physicality, and when he brings that to the basketball court he can be unstoppable.”
Reed and Walpole each scored 15 points while Staggers finished with 12. Shifflett had 11 points for the Lions.
Both teams have tournament matchups next week, Jessieville (2-2) against Charleson Monday at Scranton and Mountain Pine (3-0) against Mount Vernon-Enola Tuesday at Haskell Harmony Grove.