Brite's 3-pointer gives UMO needed lift against Bluefield State (W. Va.)

By Allen Etzler
Published in Sports on November 22, 2014 11:22 PM

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aetlzer@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE -- As Dontrell Brite released a shot from near midcourt, the University of Mount Olive crowd rose to its feet.

Then it groaned as the ball rattled in and out, and Brite hung his head, turned around and headed to the locker room.

Then the crowd erupted with cheers.

Brite's midcourt heave rattled in and out and back in just as the halftime buzzer sounded to give the Trojans the halftime momentum it desperately needed, and an eventual 87-60 victory over Bluefield State on Saturday evening.

UMO won its first Pickle Classic title since 2011.

Just like he wasn't aware his buzzer beater had gone through the net, Brite wasn't aware he was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament until nearly 30 minutes after the game. He finished with 12 points and seven assists.

"That's big man, and to win our own tournament protect our home court that's huge," Brite said. "It gives us momentum going into the season."

Brite's three came as Bluefield State had gone on a 6-0 run to cut a 12-point deficit to six. Then a missed free throw clanked off the rim, Brite got an outlet pass and let the shot fly.

"I felt like both games we hadn't gone into the locker room playing our best, but that shot really gave us some energy that we were able to come out in the second and keep up," UMO coach Joey Higginbotham said.

Right out of the break, the Trojans kept the energy high with two Kendall Hargrove dunks on the first four possessions.

A flurry of more three-balls from the Trojans propelled them the rest of the way as they shot 11 of 24 from behind the arc. Jordan McCain hit 3-pointers and finished with 19 points. John Wieland hit three treys and finished with 11 points.

The Trojans hit nine 3-pointers in the second half and the entire team seemed to catch fire.

"That kind of thing feels like it's contagious, and when one guy starts hitting the rest of the guys are hitting," Higginbotham said. "We were able to get in a rhythm and have a lot go in for us."

But even with the threes falling, UMO pounded the ball inside and worked an inside-out game with its big men, which led to the open shots.

The Trojans held a Bluefield State team that averaged 88 points per contest to just 60 points on 32-percent shooting -- including a 2 of 14 performance from Dajon Reno, who averaged more than 25 points per game.

Higginbotham knew between Reno and backcourt mate Mark Durgan, the Trojans weren't going to shut down both guards. The tandem takes about 70 percent of the Big Blues' shots, and that trend continued. Durgan finished with 27 points on 9-18 shooting.

"We knew we weren't going to stop them both, but we wanted to just try and contain them," Higginbotham said. "They take a lot of their team's shots and we knew if we could make life tough for them, it'd be hard for them to keep up."

The Trojans held a 41-28 advantage on the glass, which included a double-double performance from Mike Moore with 15 points and 15 boards. Hargrove also registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

UMO had five players in double figures.

The Trojans (5-0 overall) entered this game playing for much more than just another Pickle Classic victory. They were playing for the late George Kornegay, who died Thursday night, and was a longtime supporter of the Trojans and personal friend to Higginbotham.

"It's nice to get the win and play in front of a lot of people," Higginbotham said. "But we were playing for a lot more than the game, losing a huge supporter of our whole athletics program ... We were really happy to see his family here supporting us, so that was a big win for us.

"We really wanted that one."