By By Marty Stamper/The Meridian Star
Nov. 28, 2001
DECATUR To say Scott Central and Nanih Waiya have had a tough time of it in boys' basketball recently would be putting matters mildly.
Scott went 1-21 last year with the lone win coming in the 20th game against the Mississippi School for the Deaf. The Rebels brought an 0-3 record into Tuesday's elimination game with Nanih Waiya in the East Central Community College Central Mississippi Classic.
Nanih Waiya turned in a 1-17 mark a year ago, beating only Sturgis. The Warriors entered their game with Scott with a 2-2 mark under first-year head coach Fred Hickmon with wins over Sturgis and Union.
Scott nearly blew a 17-point lead and had to overcome a 1-for-8 showing at the free-throw line in the final 49.2 seconds to claim a 54-51 win over the Warriors that wasn't certain until Brent Blackwell's potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer hit iron and bounced away from the basket.
The Rebels, 1-3, erased a 19-18 halftime deficit early in the third quarter. Scott outscored the Warriors 21-5 over the third period to take a 39-24 advantage.
Blackwell then began the Nanih Waiya comeback as he scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors got to within 42-40 with just under five minutes remaining, but the Rebels got a 3-pointer apiece from Mario Anderson and Nathaniel McKee to go up 48-42 with 2:56 to play.
After Blackwell pulled the Warriors back to within 49-45 with two free shots with 1:54 left, the Rebels scored the next four points to go up 53-45 with only 35 seconds showing.
Blackwell then drilled two 3s in an eight-second span to cut the Rebel lead to 53-51 with 12 seconds left.
Seven seconds later, Scott's MacHandy Bobbitt hit one free throw for a three-point lead and Blackwell's shot at overtime failed to go down.
Roderick Loper led Scott with 17 points, while Courtney McClendon tossed in 15. McKee scored seven.
Nanih Waiya also got 11 points from Derek Holdiness.
Next up for Scott is a 5:30 p.m. Friday elimination game with the Union-Lake winner.
Morton 58
Union 57
The Yellowjackets fell to 0-3 with their one-point first-round loss to the Panthers.
Union led 13-9 after one quarter and took a 27-26 edge into halftime behind 11 points from Prentiss Evans, seven from Douglas Wansley, and six from Derrick Harris.
Morton rallied to take a 44-40 lead into the fourth quarter.
Union got 19 points from Evans, 16 from Wansley, nine from Quincy Larkin, and eight from Harris.
Union faces Lake Thursday at 8:30 p.m. in an elimination contest.
South Leake 52
Carthage 47
Defending tournament champion South Leake scored the opening-round game's final five points to beat their Leake County rival.
South Leake, 5-1, got 23 points from DeAnthony Ealy and 15 from Jerry Luckett.
Carthage, 2-4, got 14 points from Wilfred Fletcher and 12 from Robert Kelly.
South Leake returns to action at 5:30 p.m. today against Newton County, 3-0. Carthage faces Sebastopol Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in an elimination matchup.
Marty Stamper is a writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail him at mstamper@themeridianstar.com or call him at 693-1551, ext. 3235.