Baylor players at the game against Brentwood Academy on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018.Baylor's boys came up a little short Friday night in their TSSAA Division II-AA East/Middle Region basketball game at Baylor. Like front-of-the-rim short.
Boris Ristanovic maneuvered his way with the ball to the top of the arc as the overtime clock wound down, then pump-faked the nearest Brentwood Academy defender out of his way. Ristanovic reset and let fly with a potential game-winner that was straight but a little short, and BA was able to escape with a 61-59 victory.
The Eagles led most of the game but found themselves in a tie at 55 after Baylor's Lorenzo White made two free throws at the 2:45 mark of the fourth quarter. Brentwood Academy (16-5, 7-1) ran down about the final minute of the clock playing for a win or overtime.
Darius Garland missed a step-back 3-point shot from left of the key and the ball went out of bounds to BA with .7 second left. Garland then missed about a 30-footer, and the game went to the extra period.
The Eagles had the chance at two three-point plays in the extra period but missed the free throw both times. Baylor (13-6, 7-3) pulled within two on Tre Jackson's tip with 1:24 showing, then neither team scored in the remaining time.
"Normally we're so good in that situation, but tonight I thought we were awful down the stretch," BA coach Hubie Smith said. "We made three stupid plays - stuff we hadn't done all year. We're lucky we won."
The Red Raiders twice trailed by 15 points in the first half - the last at 27-12. They got off to such a slow start offensively, when Jackson made a 3-pointer from left of the key 5:43 before halftime, it was their second basket of the game.
"I felt like we were really inept offensively and they got a lead on us," Baylor coach Austin Clark said. "We were taking really quick shots. Once we settled down we were able to play with them. They started off really strong, and we didn't give it back."
Baylor was able to close the half on a 14-6 run and eventually went ahead for the first time at 43-42 when White scored off a rebound, although he was unable to finish the three-point play. The Red Raiders' largest lead was 53-50. Their last was after Randy Brady scored in the low post for the first points in overtime.
The defense is what helped turn things around. What Clark said made the decision sound simple - the man-to-man wasn't working, so he went to a zone.
"That's the most zone we've played all year long," Clark said.
Said Smith: "We quit executing and didn't attack their zone. We finally got going a little bit against it. We'll be better prepared next time. They spread that zone out and really did a nice job with it."
Garland, who has signed with Vanderbilt, made a variety of circus shots in the lane to go with three 3s. He missed his first free throw, made his last six and finished with 29 points.
White, also a quarterback during football season, didn't score in the first quarter but played big afterward and led the Red Raiders with 21 points.
"He's a competitor, whatever he's playing," Clark said. "He didn't do anything he couldn't do. And we needed every bit of it."
Beyuan Hendricks was next for the Red Raiders with 11 points.
Contact Kelley Smiddie at ksmiddie@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6653. Follow him on Twitter @KelleySmiddie.