TUNNEL HILL, Ga. - In the end, there were just too many variables working against the Northwest Whitfield boys' basketball team Friday night.
Playing in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAA state tournament, the Bruins lost 56-54 in overtime to Troup. They did so with leading scorers Luke Shiflett and Chris Cunningham on the bench as the game ended, casualties of an oddly called game by an officiating crew that exited the gym to a chorus of boos.
The Bruins, who finished the season with a 19-10 record, managed to stay with the talented Tigers (15-11) despite a 16-5 foul disadvantage in the second half. Troup scored eight of its 10 points in overtime from the foul line. Northwest did not take a free throw in the second half.
Still, Bryce Reese's 3-pointer with 29 seconds left in the extra session gave the Bruins a 54-53 lead. Troup, after a timeout, quickly worked the ball inside to 6-foot-5 post King Mwikuta, whose shot went off the rim. However, Mwikuta, as he did all game, hustled for the rebound and was fouled, leading to a pair of free throws and a one-point lead.
Northwest worked the ball around the perimeter and found Blaine Greene open, but his 3-point shot hit the back rim and bounced high in the air. As players battled for the rebound, the whistle blew, the call going against the Bruins just as the loose ball went into Reese's hands.
Northwest coach Ryan Richards, who praised his team's effort and grit, was frustrated with the way the game was called, especially after being told of the foul totals.
"That is a little bit ridiculous," he said. "Once you get in the playoffs, they don't call as many fouls - I think they called four total fouls in the first half - but somehow we are in a tight game and we have 16 fouls to five for them? That's just disappointing.
"Hey, we did everything we had to do to win the game. With our two top scorers on the bench having fouled out, we still had a 3 that would have won the game. I am just extremely proud of them. We won a lot of games this season, but I couldn't be more proud of them than I am right now after the way they fought and stayed in this one."
Northwest trailed by eight in the fourth quarter, but five quick points from Cunningham - including a 3-pointer - and Shiflett's drive cut the Troup lead to one with three minutes to play. Another Shiflett drive with 49 seconds left gave the Bruins a 46-45 lead, but Tristen Ware hit one of two free throws to tie it, fouling Cunningham out in the process, to send it to overtime.
Mwikuta led the Tigers with 16 points and keyed a 43-26 rebounding edge with 12. Jay Jefferson added 13 points and Ware 11.
Cunningham paced Northwest with 17 points, followed by Shiflett with 14.
-Northwest girls 42, Central-Carroll 25: The Lady Bruins overcame a cold shooting night to win their first-round game in the Class AAAA state tournament.
Northwest (25-3) did most of its good work on the defensive end, forcing 28 turnovers and getting 18 steals, helping offset a shooting performance that included making just 10 of 28 free throws.
"We haven't played in a week, and you are always leery because a week is a long time for a basketball team to be off," said Northwest coach Greg Brown, whose team will host Madison County in next week's second round. "I thought our defense and our effort was great.
"All the dirty work we did well tonight, and at this time of the year that's what you have to do to win. It wasn't pretty offensively, but we dug in. We were that good defensively tonight."
Northwest led just 15-9 at the half, but a hot start to the third quarter, which included each of Holly Heath's seven points, opened the lead to 13 and basically put the game on ice. Nicole Bates led Northwest with 13 points, while post Jada Griffin had 11 rebounds and five of the team's steals.
Central-Carroll finished the season 15-12.
-In other girls' action Friday, Heritage also lost in Class AAAA, falling 59-50 to LaGrange. In Class AAA, Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe fell 52-27 at Lovett and Sonoraville lost 40-39 at Cedar Grove.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.