ELIZABETHTOWN – Waltay Jackson’s lay-up with 14 seconds left lifted Fairmont to a 56-53 Three Rivers Conference boys basketball victory over East Bladen Friday night.
Sophmore Javant McDowell muscled in a rebound basket to tie the game 53-53 with 1:17 on the clock. The teams traded turnovers before Jackson’s basket. Jackson, a St. Pauls transfer, tacked on a free throw in the final second.
Javan Morris led the Tornado scoring with 22 points, and Jakeem Moore finished with 12 points.
McDowell just missed a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Senior Darrell Banks fired in 13 points, and sophmore Freddy Wooten followed with 8 points.
Banks opened the Eagle scoring with a 3-point basket, and senior Bryon Bowen put back a rebound for an early 5-0 lead. McDowell dropped in a transition lay-up and added a free throw, and Bowen banked in a runner to grow the lead to 10-4.
McDowell hurled in another lay-up, and Wooten turned a steal into a lay-up. McDowell converted a follow shot into a 3-point play, and senior Greyson Heustess added a transition lay-up off of a Keshaun Davis assist as the lead grew to 19-7. East led 19-9 at the quarter break.
Junior Tyshawn Berkeley started the second period with a tap-in, and senior Robbie Cooley banked in a 4-footer to keep the margin at 23-11. Banks faded away on a 4-footer during a 10-2 Tornado run that sliced the lead to 25-21.
A Banks assist resulted in a McDowell lay-up, and Banks sank 2 free throws. Banks and Wooten closed out the half with 3-point baskets that capped a 10-0 Eagle spurt that produced a 35-21 halftime lead.
McDowell picked up his fourth personal foul 2 minutes into the second half, and Bowen was already on the bench with 4 fouls. The Tornadoes capitalized on the Eagle foul trouble with a 15-2 run that sliced the lead to 37-36.
The 6-6 McDowell returned to the game and connected on 4 of 6 free throws in the final 2:30 of the third period to keep East ahead 41-38 at the quarter break.
Morris pumped in an elbow jumper and 2 free throws to give the Tornadoes their first lead of the game at 42-41.
A Davis assist set up Wooten for a 3-point basket that put the Eagles on top 44-42. Fairmont went back up 46-44, but another Davis assist led to a McDowell lay-up, and Banks buried a 3-point shot for a 49-46 East lead.
Berkeley drove the lane for a lay-in that kept the Eagles on top 51-48 at the 2:50 mark. Moore drove for a lay-up then canned a 3-point shot to vault Fairmont ahead 53-51 with 1:36 left.
“The kids played hard,” said Eagle Coach Kenzil McCall. “I wish we could have pulled it out for them. But when it is going bad, it is hard for a young team to get it turned around.”
East Bladen will travel to St. Pauls Tuesday night.
Fairmont 9 12 17 17 – 55
East Bladen 19 16 6 12 – 53
EAST BLADEN (53) – Keshaun Davis, Greyson Heustess 2, Bryon Bowen 4, Javant McDowell 20, Juwan Baldwin, Freddy Wooten 8, Tyshawn Berkeley 4, Darrell Banks 13, Robbie Cooley 2, Corey McKoy.
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