Brookland lands knockout blow in OT

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

LONOKE - There wasn’t anything pretty about Monticello’s rematch with Brookland on Monday, but Brookland Coach Bobby Gross will take a victory any way he can get it, especially if it puts his team in a state title game.

Brookland scored on a layup with 59 seconds left to force overtime, then held Monticello to a single free throw in the extra period to pull out a 22-21 victory in the semifinals of the Class 4A state tournament at the Gina Cox Center.

“As ugly as it was, it sure feels good now that it’s over,” Gross said. “You saw two teams play extremely hard. I’ve known [Monticello Coach Wayne Sherrer] for a long time, and you hate to see a team play that hard go down, but my kids fought and fought.

“That’s is the hardest-played game that I’ve ever been a part of.”

In a game in which both teams combined for just 13 made field goals, Gross said that he knew it would probably come down to the final possession, and it did.

Brookland (27-6) led 22-21 with 2:25 left in overtime following Reece Gramling’s back-door layup, but the Bearcats didn’t hit another basket and missed the front end of one-and-one situations on three consecutive trips.

Monticello (24-5), which didn’t have a field goal over the game’s final 10 minutes, had a chance to win it at the end. The Billies, though, missed three shots within eight feet of the basket on their last possession, including a putback by Deshawn McGowan that came up just short as the buzzer sounded.

Chandler Thompson had eight points to lead Brookland, which made just 7 of 26 from the floor but will make its first appearance in the title game against Lonoke after reaching the semifinals a year ago. Gramling finished with seven points.

McGowan led Monticello with 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Billies finished 6 of 35 from the floor.

“He single-handedly forced us to change our defensive scheme,” Gross said of Mc-Gowan. “He was a beast. He got us in foul trouble, and we couldn’t do anything with him.

“He’s the strongest guy we’ve played against all season, and we had to go to a 3-2 zone because of it.”

McGowan scored seven points in the first two quarters but was responsible for six Bearcat fouls. Still, scoring was hard to come by for both teams. Both combined for six made baskets in the first half.Brookland didn’t have a field goal in the second quarter and trailed 13-9 at halftime. In fact, the Bearcats went 19 minutes without a basket until Devon Newton’s three-pointer with 5:56 left in the game.

But the Bearcats rode their zone defense in the second half, and it caused problems for the Billies. Monticello hit two shots over the final two quarters but still led 18-16 at the 5:33 mark of the fourth quarter. Thompson tied it with a basket with 5:03 left in the game before McGowan’s two free throws with 1:15 remaining gave the Billies a twopoint lead.

Brookland’s C.J. Henry answered with a driving layup with 55 seconds showing. Both teams missed shots over the final 14 seconds to send the game into overtime.

LONOKE 50, NASHVILLE 39

Lonoke (26-5) rode the emotion from its home crowd right into its first state championship game berth since 2008.

The Jackrabbits got off to a quick start and never let up in beating Nashville in front of an animated crowd.

Blake Mack scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Lonoke, winners of 12 of their past 13 games. Darrius McCall scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, one in which the Scrappers made several runs but could never catch up. Darien Young added 10.

Cameron Alexander and Lamichael Pettway had 11 points each for Nashville (17-13).

Sports, Pages 20 on 03/11/2014