CABOT — The Cabot Panthers went cold in the final two minutes Friday night, while the Bryant Hornets had a shooter come through just in time for a 36-33 victory.
Trailing 33-32, Bryant (8-1) received a three-point play from junior guard Tyler Simmons with 51.9 seconds left. Simmons scored all five of his points in the fourth quarter.
“I was so proud of Tyler stepping up like that, first making the shot and then the free throw,” Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. “He shot an air ball early and lost his confidence, and he’s our best shooter. That was huge for him to step up and do that when we needed it.”
The Panthers’ final field goal came at the 2:45 mark when Jake Ferguson made a three-pointer that gave Cabot a 31-30 lead. Two free throws by Kyle Thielemier put the Panthers ahead 33-31. Cabot (2-5) missed the front end of a 1-and-1, then two more free throws that could have given them a three-point lead before Simmons’ shot.
“We’re putting ourselves in position to win games,” Cabot Coach Jerry Bridges. “But we’re missing free throws and not taking care of business.”
Bryant trailed 8-7 after the first quarter, but came back for a 21-16 lead at halftime thanks to 3 three-pointers by Greyson Giles and a threepoint play by KJ Hill, who led all scorers with 12 points, while Giles had nine points.
“I knew this would be a tough game,” Abrahamson said. “Jerry is one of the best coaches in this state. They’ve got great fans and a loud student section, but you have to learn how to respond in this environment and we did.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 12/15/2012