UMO Boys

By Cam Ellis
Published in Sports on February 20, 2015 1:48 PM

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cellis@newsargus.com

MOUNT OLIVE - If you had watched the post-game celebration, you would have never guessed what the Mount Olive men's basketball team had just been through.

If you had watched Mike Moore cutting down the nets, you would have never thought that he went 1-8 from the floor with only two points.

If you had watched the team pose for pictures, arms around each other as friends and family looked on, you would have never thought they went into halftime down 10 points.

There was a lot that got lost in the aftermath of Thursday night's game in Kornegay Arena.

The Trojans, playing with the regular-season conference title on the line, narrowly defeated Emmanuel College 59-56.

JaQuan Blount gave UMO their first lead of the game after hitting a three with 7 minutes to go, and the Trojans finished off a hectic, back-and-forth final 5 minutes with game-clinching free throws from Blount and Kendall Hargrove.

The win extended Mount Olive's winning streak to 15 games and ensured that the 13th ranked Trojans would finish the regular season undefeated at home (15-0).

Dontrelle Brite led the scoring effort, dropping in 17 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor. The guard also added three assists, two rebounds and one steal and was perfect (4-4) from the free thrown line.

Brite, along with the rest of the team, picked up the intensity in the 2nd half after a lackluster first 20 minutes saw them go into the locker room down 33-23.

"We were awful the first half," coach Joey Higginbotham said. "I think they came to Mount Olive, but we went to Georgia [where Emmanuel is located]. We were bad. We were not focused and we were not ready to play."

After what Higginbotham called a "spirited" half time discussion, the Trojans returned to the court ready to play.

"I told them I was really, really, really disappointed. Along with some other things. I just told them, 'Do you like the way you're playing?' and they said 'No' so I told them to go out and change that."

As has been the case throughout the year, the Trojans' increased effort on defense paid off at the other end. After shooting only 31 percent in the first half, UMO opened up the floor and created cleaner shots that started to fall.

They shot almost 40 percent in the second half.

With a heightened sense of aggression from their guards - specifically Blount and Brite - UMO was able to claw back into the game.

They attacked the rim mercilessly and were in the bonus with over 10 minutes to play.

"It helped us," Higginbotham said. "It got the game stopped and let us catch our breath a little bit. And we did a good job at the free throw line. We made them when they counted."

The Trojans hit 16-20 free throws in the 2nd half, and after going 4-4 with under 10 seconds to go, the celebration was on.

"[The win] feels good," Brite said. "We haven't been able to cut down the nets any of the three years that I've been here, so it's a big accomplishment for us."

Higginbotham, who usually stays reserved when it comes to his team's success, even found a moment or two to enjoy the win.

"It's fun, and we usually don't cut the nets down during the regular season," he said. "But this team is special. They needed to be rewarded for what they've done."

"Plus, we needed the practice at cutting them down, because they were awful at cutting it tonight."

Mount Olive wraps up its regular season schedule next Tuesday, when the Trojans hit the road to take on Barton.