Tangled up in blue
Roberson took a charge. Peterson took the shot. But when the game went to OT, West Side couldn’t hold off Carmel.
One shot to win it.
West Side just wanted a small sliver of daylight against Carmel, the defending Class 4A state champions and a boys basketball program with four state titles.
The Greyhounds are typically playing to get to a state championship game.
The Cougars had their chance Saturday in the Lafayette Jefferson Semistate, but Quimari Peterson missed a contested 8-foot jump shot in regulation with time running down and the Greyhounds hung on in overtime for a 53-50 victory.
The finish in regulation was riveting, and it looked like the game was trending West Side’s way.
The Cougars (22-5) outscored the Greyhounds (25-2) by a 6-1 count in the last 1:58 to force overtime.
Crishawn Christmas, who finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, stole an inbounds pass with a little over 40 seconds left and scored for West Side.
That tied the game at 40. Carmel rushed down the court and tried to beat West Side for a quick basket.
Parion Roberson, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, planted in the lane
and took a charge with 37 seconds left. Connor Gioia had left his feet to make the pass.
Roberson was overjoyed when the charge was called.
“I knew the call could go either way,” he said. “As soon as I saw him throw his hands up, I knew I had it.”
That set the stage for Peterson, a 6-1 senior guard who finished with 16 points.
The Cougars ran down the clock and Peterson got the shot he wanted in the lane, but it bounced hard off the back rim.
Carmel then scored the first three points in overtime.
A 3-pointer by Samuel Orme gave the Greyhounds a 46-42 lead with 1:34 left in OT.
That was all the separation Carmel needed to win.
Peterson picked up his second foul about halfway through the first quarter and sat out the second quarter.
He said he felt “like he led his teammates down. “
On the final shot in regulation, he said he “thought it was good when I let it go.’
Christmas said it was difficult to process the loss, particularly how the end of regulation played out.
Christmas, a 6-5 senior forward, fouled out in overtime after he was called for a foul on what appeared to be a clean block.
“I thought we had it all going for ourselves,” he said. “I thought if we would’ve executed a little better without bad possessions, it could’ve been different.
“We kind of let the refs get to us, but we got through it. All I can say is that I’m just glad we made it here. I want to see what happens next year. “
Roberson, who finished with eight points, said it was a game that could have gone either way.
“We just have to keep our heads up and see what the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors do next year,” he said. “Life goes on.”
Despite the loss, it was still a big season for the Cougars, who played in their first semistate since 2005.
In the 2015-2016 season, which was the first under coach Chris Buggs, West Side finished with a 3-19 record.
Buggs wasn’t disappointed with the semistate setback.
“I’m proud of the seniors and I’m proud of the effort,” he said.