Timely shots lift Hastings to district win
Some rival games require you to roll up your sleeves to get the toughest part of the job done. That’s what the Bears did in defense of their home court.
After losing the lead in the third quarter, Hastings out scored Alief Taylor 12-11 in the fourth quarter to win a hard fought district game 53-50 Tuesday night at Hastings High School.
The Bears led a low scoring first quarter 11-8, as both teams got off to a slow start.
In the second quarter Clinton Nwosuh and Deandre Hayden had back to back baskets to give the Bears their largest lead of the game, 18-9. Of course the game wouldn’t get to far out of hand with the Lions answering with a pair of scores from Coleman and Jordan Everett, cutting the lead, 18-13.
As the game progressed on both teams begin to find their offensive swagger, at that point Taylor trailed by four points, 22-18.
Hastings (10-7, 2-1) added a couple quick scores when Marshallech stole a pass at half court and turn it into a finger roll to increase the lead, 27-20, but the Lions wouldn’t go quietly coming up with consecutive 3-pointers from Darius Coleman and Qua Doster going into halftime down by one point, 27-26.
“I think we came out a little slow, we should have come out harder. We started coming back at the end,” said Qua Doster Alief Taylor’s Point Guard. We need to work on knocking down free throws and playing good defense.”
A tight third quarter watched Taylor tie the game at 30 on Coleman’s jumper from the free throw line producing their first lead of the game at 31-30 with under 5:00 minutes to go in the quarter.
Right after is when Hayden and Cedarren Leonard heated from the floor matching scores with Qua Doster. Leonard knocked down three 3-pointers in less than a minute to help the Bears regain the lead, 39-36. Moments later Qua Doster responded with a trey to lock the game at 39 before Hayden closed out the third quarter with a running floater with Hastings up 41-39.
“It was a tough game, they came to play,” said Cedarrin Leonard Hastings Guard. We didn’t expect them to play that hard but they did. We came back. In the first half we wasn’t making shots but our coach told us to keep shooting and eventually they’ll fall and they starting falling.”
Doster scored a game high 25 points for the Lions.
Nwosuh led off the fourth quarter by sinking two free throws after being fouled by Josh Brannon. In a close battle, Taylor (9-7, 1-1)fought back within two points, 44-42 but never could consistently take advantage of Hastings missed opportunities.
With under 3:00 minutes to go Doster executed a crowd pleaser with a nice pass inside to low post player Brannon who lost his man on a beautiful drop step as he went to his left to complete a tomahawk dunk bring the crowd to its feet. The Bears kept pace with timely baskets unfazed by the highlight dunk.
Hayden led Hastings with 24 points and seven rebounds while Leonard added 16 points.