McClain sinks 3 crucial FTs, Eagles escape Heat 65-63

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on November 11, 2014 1:48 PM

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First-year Wayne Christian head varsity basketball coach Victor Young cautioned his team not to relax with a 15-point halftime lead.

In the visitors' locker room, Goldsboro Heat head coach Gabriel Portela issued two challenges -- crash the boards and give a better effort on defense.

Young's concerns surfaced in the second half.

Portela's squad answered his requests.

And the Heat, a home-schooled club of underclassmen, nearly pulled off a stunning comeback inside Clifford Gymnatorium on Monday evening. Junior point guard Ty McClain converted three free throws in the final 19.2 seconds to clinch the Eagles' 65-63 victory.

"We jumped out to a 15-point lead and sometimes that's good, and most times, it's not," said Young, a University of Mount Olive and Goldsboro High alum.

"In the locker room (at halftime), I pre-warned them and they came out dry. But my guys showed fortitude, played with heart, intensity ... which is something I preach. We were fortunate enough to pull it out."

Indeed.

Wayne Christian (1-1 overall) turned a slim three-point lead into a double-digit advantage, 36-21, at the break. McClain and Ryan Kennedy combined for 17 of the Eagles' 21 points in the second period.

The Heat (0-1), which gave up height advantages at several positions, failed to box out on the boards. The Eagles converted several second-chance opportunities and, according to Portela, ended the night with 17 offensive rebounds.

So, Goldsboro did the next best thing -- it started shooting and driving to the basket. The aggressive attitude led to a 19-point, third-quarter outburst that not only trimmed the Eagles' advantage to two points -- but also caused Wayne Christian to encounter foul trouble.

Four of Young's starters played a majority of the third and fourth periods with either three or four fouls. Three starters fouled out, while McClain survived the final nine minutes of action without committing his fifth foul.

"I had challenged the guys to get within 10 (after three quarters) and they went above and beyond, and got it two," Portela said. "They fought and didn't give up. That's a JV team that was playing out there tonight and they competed hard."

Goldsboro stayed within two possessions throughout the fourth period until Gavin Portela knotted the game at 48-48 with 4:23 to go. The teams battled to ties of 50-50, 53-53, 58-58 and 60-60 over the next 3 1/2 minutes.

McClain pushed the Eagles back in front, 62-60, with a drive in the lane. The Heat dribbled down court and Wayne Christian's Tyler Weeks stole the ball just inside the free throw circle.

Weeks passed it ahead to McClain, who got fouled and hit two more free throws to make it 64-60 with 19.2 seconds to go.

"That was big," Young said of Weeks.

Harmon Kaler swished a 3-pointer off of an assist Josiah Simmons just seconds later. McClain's single free throw sealed the outcome with 6.5 seconds remaining.

McClain poured in a game-high 36 points, while Austin Howell chipped in 10 points. Tanner Rose just missed a double-double with seven points and eight rebounds.

Gavin Portela led three Heat players in double figures with 23 points. Simmons scored 14, while Kaler added 11.