Spring Creek’s Nathan Jackson gets fouled by Midway’s Wyatt Herring on a second-half baseline shot Monday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s bench reacts after a teammate knocks down a 3-pointer. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s Nathan Jackson (with ball) drives the baseline after pulling down a rebound. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Spring Creek’s DJ Deal (3) and Jackson Rose (0) block a Midway player’s shot during opening-half action in “The Swamp” on Monday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
SEVEN SPRINGS — DJ Deal’s 3-pointer swished the net and Spring Creek appeared in cruise control.
The Gators led by 18.
Seven-plus minutes remained in regulation.
Then, the unthinkable happened.
Midway scrambled after loose balls, crashed the offensive glass and put relentless pressure on the ball. The tenacious work caused the Gators to collapse.
Colin Woods’ steal and layup, and a subsequent free throw capped the Raiders’ miraculous, 67-65 comeback victory in “The Swamp” on Monday evening.
“We let the pressure get to us, which we go over every day in practice,” SC head coach Raytrell Caldwell said. “We’ve got to know where our ball-handlers are [on the court]. You can’t throw up prayers, can’t fast-forward the clock.
“The game couldn’t get over sooner. That’s a tough one. I’m still confused.”
For three quarters, SC looked like Midway.
Loose balls and offensive rebounds bounced into the Gators’ hands. Jackson Rose’s 3-pointer off a turnover put SC in command 13-3 past the midway point of the first quarter.
Caldwell’s team continued flourish in the second and third periods. Deal, Brennan Chambers and Nathan Jackson worked in unison around the basket.
Jackson’s 3-pointer in transition from Deal pushed the Gators ahead 33-17 at the 1:51 mark. They entered halftime ahead 33-22 and owned a 54-39 advantage through three periods.
“I wish I knew what happened in the fourth,” Caldwell said.
Down 18, the Raiders ramped up in the intensity.
Crouched at the end of the Gators’ bench, he watched his team’s double-digit advantage slowly dwindle.
Landon Hammond picked the Gators’ pocket for a steal, took one step behind the 3-point line and swished a 3-pointer. Midway trailed 60-50 at that point.
Turnovers and lack of defensive rebounding kept the Raiders within striking distance. Kemari McNeil’s 3-pointer off a turnover closed the gap to 62-57 with 2:57 to go.
“I’m trying to let my boys play through adversity, let them know they can breathe so they can rebuild self-confidence out there [on the court],” Caldwell said. “The theme is ‘when the tough gets going, you get tough’ [and] you’ve got to maintain focus, know what the next move is going to be.”
Deal put SC up 65-59 around the 3-minute mark.
The Gators misfired on their next three possessions and permitted two offensive rebounds. Woods’ go-ahead basket and free throw capped Midway’s mind-boggling, game-deciding 28-8 run.
“Not handling the pressure [well] is probably my fault, too,” Caldwell said. “We talk about rebounding every day in practice. We do rebound drills. I think our guys think about the ball in the air first and not the fundamentals of boxing out first.
“You box out, move the guys out of position. The ball just didn’t bounce our way tonight. When we did get a ball, something [wrong] happened.”
The Raiders (5-0 overall) collected their sixth victory in their last seven meetings against the Gators, who lead the series 16-8 since 2005.
Jackson pumped in 25 points for Spring Creek. Chambers tallied 14, while Rose provided 11. Deal and Josh Lewis supplied eight and seven points respectively.
Spring Creek (1-3 overall) launches a five-game road swing Thursday at Arendell-Parrott Academy.
You may reach sports writer Rudy Coggins at prepswriter2@gmail.com or call/text 919-709-9257.
