Bulldogs rally for win over Wildcats
A deep shot at the buzzer to finish the third quarter changed the momentum Tuesday night in Jefferson County, setting the stage for a big comeback.
The White Hall boys’ basketball team rallied to knock off Watson Chapel 72-57 in White Hall despite trailing big in the third quarter.
Jacoby Edwards scored 13 points in the fourth quarter for White Hall to lead the Bulldogs’ comeback. Head coach Josh Hayes said Edwards grew and matured in this game.
“He is one of the most athletic kids in the state,” Hayes said. “He was one of the highest ceilings out there, and he showed it tonight. Thirteen in the fourth quarter is just crazy, but he has that type of potential when he’s locked in.”
Watson Chapel (0-2) led by as much as 42-26 with 2:53 to play in the third quarter after a huge run in the middle of the game.
White Hall (2-1) chipped away the rest of the quarter, but the big shot was a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Cameron Ramos which cut the deficit to 48-39. Hayes said that shot was a big part of sparking the comeback.
“It gave us some momentum, and also, it calmed us down a little bit,” Hayes said. “You had some guys dropping their head and thinking it was over with, which we wouldn’t allow them. My assistant coaches did a great job of keeping the guys pumped up on the bench, but that shot probably saved the game for us.”
The Bulldogs proceeded to outscore the Wildcats 33-9 in the fourth quarter. Jordan Rasberry tied the game at 55 with a pair of free throws with 3:26 to play before Edwards gave White Hall the lead with a 3-pointer. Rasberry threw down a dunk in the final two minutes to cap off a 17-0 run.
Edwards finished with 16 points, and he said he was locked in during the fourth.
“I knew we had to come back from a deficit,” Edwards said. “I did all I could.”
Jai’chaunn Hayes led the Bulldogs with 19 points. Rasberry scored 12, and Ramos had 10.
Armon Leavy led Watson Chapel with a game-high 21 points. Joseph Dockett scored 12, and Buck Wells had 11.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, White Hall took a 2012 lead early in the second. The Wildcats proceeded to go on an incredible 30-6 run. Leavy put Watson Chapel ahead 23-22 from the free throw line, and the Wildcats led 29-24 at halftime.
The run continued in the third quarter with the Wildcats scoring the first 9 points of the second half. Dockett finished the run with back-toback buckets, giving Watson Chapel its largest lead.
One common theme throughout the third quarter was Watson Chapel drawing charges, many of those drawn by Kevin Marcus. Head coach Jevon Barnes said Marcus was a big part of the 30-6 run.
“That guy took about six charges tonight,” Barnes said. “He is our communicator and knows what’s going on. His IQ of our defensive assignments is great, and he knew exactly what we needed. When he fouled out, that hurt.”