Eagles sink 9 of 10 late free throws to top Midway

By Andrew Stevens
Published in Sports on December 16, 2007 2:23 AM

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Rosewood executed fundamentals to near perfection and didn't fold after watching a double-digit lead vanish in a 53-46, non-conference victory over Midway on Friday evening.

In the girls' game, Rosewood played three sloppy quarters and struggled to find consistency in a 58-48 loss.

Rosewood's boys opened up a 10-point lead in the third quarter, only to see Midway coming storming back. Garrett Knowles sank one of two free throws early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 34-34.

Taylor Allen answered with a pair of 3-pointers, which pushed the lead to 40-34. Knowles knotted the contest at 44-44 on a 3-pointer with 90 seconds to play in regulation.

The Eagles (4-3 overall) sank nine of 10 free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Rosewood shot 11 for 16 from the free throw line, owned a 33-24 edge in rebounding and won the turnover battle 24-14.

"We did a real good job at the free throw line there at the end of the fourth quarter and that was the difference in the game," Rosewood head coach Daniel Mitchell said. "We talked about rebounding the ball well, and I thought for the most part we did. We didn't give them any second-chance points."

The Eagles remained patient on offense all night, using textbook ball movement to crack the Raiders' defense and create open looks.

"We were patient against the zone, we moved the ball around well and looked to get the ball inside," Mitchell said. "Our first game of the year against Rocky Mount Prep we let that one slip away from us in the fourth. I think we're starting to mature as a team."

After falling behind 33-23 in the third quarter, Midway closed the period on an 8-1 run and trailed 34-31 heading into the final eight minutes.

Tyler Muntz scored six of his team-high 16 points in the second quarter, helping the Eagles turn a 14-13 lead into a 23-15 halftime cushion. The Raiders scored just two points in the second quarter.

Midway's Chris Boone scored eight of his team-high 16 points in the first quarter as Rosewood led 14-13 after one.

Stephen McIntyre finished with 15 points for the Eagles, including going 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Allen ended the night with 11 points and Holt Rains tallied six points and two blocks.

Chris Boone led the Raiders with 16 points and Knowles had 13.

After a sluggish first quarter in which its offense seemed to consist of more watching than it did moving, Rosewood (3-4) finally got going in the second period.

Trailing 13-5, the Eagles went on a 9-1 run and Haile Meadows' 3-pointer tied the game at 14-14. Mary Jo Moore's 3-pointer gave Rosewood its first lead at 17-14.

Midway closed the half scoring six of the last seven points and tied the game at 20-20.

After halftime Rosewood once again seemed stagnant on offense while struggling to get stops on the defensive end. Numerous quick shots and the inability to rebound led to too many abbreviated possessions for the Eagles.

The Raiders began the third quarter on a 16-2 run, including 14 unanswered points. In a matter of minutes, the lead had swelled to 36-22.

"We didn't get the rebounds that we needed to get," Eagles head coach Karen Williams said. "We get down the court and shoot one shot and we don't have anybody down there to rebound it. It's kind of hard. Our girls either all have it together or they all don't have it together."

Rosewood got the lead under 10 twice in the fourth quarter, but was never able to close the gap.

Haile Meadows led the Eagles with 16 points. Mary Jo Moore added seven and Shantal Johnson had eight.

Kellie Blackmon finished with 14 points for the Raiders.

Boys

Midway 13 2 16 15 -- 46

Rosewood 14 9 11 19 -- 53

MIDWAY

Garrett Knowles 3 1 4-5 13, Darren Brewington 2 1 0-0 7, Chris Boone 6 3 1-2 16, Jonathan McDonell 1 0 0-0 2, Ethan Faircloth 1 0 0-0 2, Ronnie Strickland 0 0 1-2 1, Chad Allen 1 0 0-0 2. TOTALS -- 14 3 9-13 46.

ROSEWOOD (4-3)

Stephen McIntyre 3 1 6-8 15, Taylor Allen 0 3 2-2 11, Akeem Simmons 1 0 0-0 2, Sean Cornman 0 0 2-2 2, Tyler Muntz 8 0 0-1 16, Joseph Willis 0 0 1-2 1, Holt Rains 3 0 0-1 6. TOTALS -- 15 4 11-16 53.

Girls

Midway 13 7 19 19 -- 58

Rosewood 5 15 7 21 -- 48

MIDWAY

Lashonda Smith 1 1 0-0 5, Kacey Wrench 1 0 5-6 7, Johnra Parker 2 2 0-0 10, Hayley Blue 5 0 3-7 13, Brittany Autry 2 0 0-0 4, Sierra Lee 1 0 1-2 3, Kellie Blackman 7 0 0-0 14, Jasmine Rich 1 0 0-3 2. TOTALS -- 20 3 9-18 58.

ROSEWOOD (3-4)

Mary Jo Moore 2 1 0-0 7, Misha Chester 1 0 0-0 2, Taylor Johnson 2 0 1-2 5, Jennifer Hall 2 0-0 4, Haile Meadows 1 4 2-5 16. Paige Babb 1 0 3-4 5, Shantal Johnson 3 0 2-3 8. TOTALS -- 13 5 7-14 48.