What looked like a big-time victory for the DeKalb County Tigers turned into a disappointing loss in the matter of seconds.
The Tigers held a lead for the majority of the fourth quarter Friday in Warren County, but a late free throw by the Pioneers sent the game to overtime, where the home team would prevail 67-58.
DeKalb County led 54-53 in the final minute and survived a 3-pointer by the Pioneers with 15 seconds left. The Tigers secured the rebound, forcing Warren County to foul.
Trey Jones, the Tigers' leading scorer with 14 points, seemed like the perfect player to send to the line, but his first free throw rimmed out in a one-and-one situation. The Pioneers snared the rebound and raced upcourt, leading to Tyree Ladet careening through the lane.
Ladet's floater missed the mark with 2.7 seconds left, but a whistle sent Warren County's guard to the line as visiting fans showed their ire.
Ladet missed the first, but made the second to send the game to overtime.
DeKalb County scored first in the four-minute overtime and remained tied up to 1:31 to play, but the Pioneers rallied after a 3-pointer to score the final nine points and improve to 9-2.
Falling down the stretch erased what was a furious comeback by the Tigers. Warren County jumped out to a 9-2 lead early, and carried the hefty advantage through most of the first half.
Sparked by two 3-pointers by Austin Johnson, the Tigers were able to chip away and tie the game at 30-30 by halftime. Jones helped power the Tigers into the lead in the second half, scoring six points during a stretch in the third quarter. His powerful play in the post helped the Tigers lead 44-43 entering the fourth.
The teams traded the lead for most of the final period, but the Tigers edged in front on a huge shot by Norris Atkins.
Down 53-51 with under a minute left, Jones bullied his way to the goal, but was stopped at the rim. Jones kicked to the wing, where Atkins was ready to fire. Atkins' aim was true on a 3-pointer with 46.4 seconds left. The big shot didn't prove to be the difference though.
Marshall Evins matched Jones with 14 points, including two big 3-pointers in the first half to keep the Tigers in range. Tanner Poss added 12 points, while Johnson finished with 10.
WCHS Lady Pioneers 40
DHS Lady Tigers 35
In Friday's first game, the Lady Tigers fell as Warren County scored the final five points in the last two minutes.
Joni Robinson knotted the game at 35 on a 3-pointer with 2:31 to play, but the Lady Tigers were unable to make another shot down the stretch.
DeKalb County relied heavily on the 3-pointer, hitting eight overall - and scoring all 15 of its second-half points from behind the arc. The shooting helped the Lady Tigers lead 29-27 going into the fourth, but Warren County erased the late lead for the second time in two meetings between the schools.
Emme Colwell led the Lady Tigers with 13 points, followed by Robinson with 9, Mallori Hart with 6, Maddison Parsley with 4 and Mya Ruch with 3.
