Tyner basketball player Kevin Cameron took the ribbing from an assistant coach in stride after the Rams beat Red Bank 67-60 in a District 6-AA game Thursday night.
If he would have made his free throws, the sophomore would have scored at least 40 points in the Lions' gym.
As it was, Cameron scored 35 points and grabbed 18 rebounds while leading the Rams to their third straight victory.
"It feels good to score like that," Cameron said. "My teammates got me the ball, and I executed."
The Rams (11-7, 6-2) have a solid grasp on third place in 6-AA behind Brainerd (15-5, 9-0) and Central (13-4, 8-2) and ahead of fourth-place East Ridge (9-13, 3-6).
"It's going to be one heck of a finish to the end of the season," Tyner coach Gerald Harris said. "And the tournament should be exciting."
The district tournament is still a couple weeks away. The Rams seem ready. Cameron certainly is ready, especially after he scored 16 of Tyner's 21 points in the fourth quarter.
As the Lions (11-14, 3-7) were climbing to within five points during the fourth quarter, Cameron scored 10 of Tyner's next 12 to give the Rams a comfortable 63-48 lead with less than three minutes remaining.
"What was he not able to do tonight?" Harris joked. "He comes from a family full of athletes and he's blessed with ability, but more than anything with his heart he puts it all on the line.
"Tonight was one of those nights where without him it probably would have been a different outcome."
Cameron scored on a variety of drives, post moves and rebound putbacks. He scored 10 points in the first quarter, three in the second quarter, seven in the third and 16 in the last. He made eight of 14 free throws.
"(Cameron) took over rebounding. He asserted himself on the glass and he knows his way around the rim, and he's assertive," Red Bank coach Nick Fike said. "He's fun to watch if you're not coaching against him."
Senior Malik Davis led Red Bank with 19 points and Malik McConnell added 15 despite picking up three fouls in the first quarter. But the Lions went 9-for-23 from the free-throw line.
"Free throws were our downfall tonight," Fike said. "We're competing until the final horn. I loved their hustle and their heart and competitiveness. But when you step up to the line, you need to knock them down."
Tyner led 29-28 at halftime and 46-40 after three quarters. Red Bank cut the lead to five on a bucket by Davis with 4:02 to play. Then the Lions had three straight empty possessions while the Rams surged to a 63-48 lead, thanks in large part to Cameron.
"He was unguardable tonight," Tyner senior Jarvon Deloach said. "Kevin played his role."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.