SBMOP WINTER CLASSIC: Parrott edges Wayne Christian on last-second shot

By Justin Hayes
Published in Sports on December 30, 2016 10:23 AM

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MOUNT OLIVE -- From his post on the bench, Parrott Academy varsity boys' basketball coach Wells Gulledge whistled any and all manner of encouragement and in-game strategy to his players as they competed in this week's Southern Bank/Mount Olive Pickle Winter Classic.

His language, however, was another matter.

Missing were your granddaddy's terms for the game, archaic phrases such as "ball screen" and "high post." Garden-variety verbiage like "one-three-one" and "flash" were notably absent as well.

With rotating nonchalance, the former University of Mount Olive guard called for things such as "H-Town" and "blue." Halfcourt fare was served with heavy doses of "single" and "UCLA-X."

Sprinkle in a floor-length touch of "21-Vegas," and you've got yourself a living, breathing, end-to-end hoops thesaurus.

Wooden with a touch of Silicon Valley-shiek, if you will.

But when pressed for a measure of his team's panic-attack inspired, 61-60 triumph over Wayne Christian Academy in the event's third-place game on Thursday evening, the basketball auteur kept it simple.

"Moody," he said with a smile.

He was right.

Parrott junior and all-everything guard Kris Wooten set the game's tone in what quickly developed into a relentless opening quarter, thrice connecting from distance and helping Parrott establish a 20-15 advantage.

That pace carried through the second stanza as well, as the Patriots rotated defensively and bothered Wayne Christian guard Darrian Oates, who struggled to find the smooth rhythm he displayed over the first two games of the tournament.

At the break, Parrott led 36-28.

Oates would find his way in the third period, however, ripping cord on a triple in front of the Patriot bench and leading a defensive charge that held the Parrott offensive algorithm to just eight points in the quarter.

The dual-effort was lauded by Eagles' head coach Victor Young.

"They came out, got in our style of play, and fought," the coach said. "And that kind of turned the game around."

And then some.

DJ Waters and Oates continued their groove in a frenzied fourth quarter, connecting on back-to-back-back triples that narrowed, and eventually overcame, a small Parrott advantage.

The Patriots countered with forward AJ Banker, who turned the charity stripe into a 12-point quarter that provided the stage for a breathless, manic finish that is likely to posture in tournament lore for some time.

With 14.9 seconds remaining, Wooten made one of two free throws to knot the affair at 59 apiece. The ensuing possession resulted in a foul on Wayne Christian big man Rayshawn Wellington, who calmly swished his first free throw.

His second attempt missed, however, and Banker raced the length of the floor in pursuit of the rim. His progress was halted in the lane by a bevy of Eagle defenders, resulting in a loose ball that drifted out of bounds.

Timeout Parrott. A shade over three ticks remaining.

"It's a chess match, and we bet on the zone," Gulledge said of the game's final play. "They (WC) didn't cover the screen man, which is the third option... but then again, he's got to make the bucket."

And Holden Killenger did.

The junior applied his screen, slipped to the baseline, received the inbound pass and calmly went glass to nail the game-winner with just 1.6 seconds remaining.

Bedlam.

Parrott 61, Wayne Christian 60.

Banker and Oates, whose three-quarter court, game-winning attempt missed at the buzzer, were tabbed as first-team all-tournament selections. Wooten, whose performance included 21 points and four rebounds, was a second-team selection.

"It was a great effort by our kids, and hat's off to Wayne Christian -- they have a great ball team," Gulledge said. "Just a game of swings."

Indeed.

And understandable in any language.