Kobe Smith sat slumped on a bench just outside the Tyner locker room, the gold-ball trophy he had been presented earlier for scoring his 1,000th career point resting on his lap.
The adrenaline that had helped push him to score eight of his team’s 12 fourth-quarter points had clearly worn off, and the Rams senior post was simply too tired even to celebrate. Moments earlier Smith had been a bundle of energy, working hard on both ends of the court to lift his team to a 51-47 home win over rival Howard that sealed the District 6-AA regular-season title.
Although Tyner (18-2, 12-0) has two district games remaining, it now owns the tiebreaker over Howard (19-5, 12-2), which has wrapped up its league schedule.
As impressive as his game-high 24 points were, it was Smith’s quick pass to Latavious Conyer – who had slipped behind the defense and into the lane for a wide-open layup – that provided Tyner with the go-ahead points with 49 seconds remaining. The Rams then forced turnovers on back-to-back Howard possessions, and Smith added two free throws for the final margin.
“Coming out of the timeout, we knew all eyes would be on Kobe,” Rams coach E’Jay Ward said. “The play was for him to have the ball in his hands, and once he saw Tay come open, he made a selfless play to hit him with the pass.
“Kobe has been a warrior, and we’re going to get on his shoulders and let him carry us as far as he can from here on.”
Since their previous meeting, a three-point Tyner win in early January, Howard had won 10 of 11 games – its only loss coming by one point at McCallie. Tyner has won 10 of its last 11, with its only loss by one against Class AAA’s top-ranked Cleveland.
Just one day after an emotional two-point district win over Red Bank, the Hustlin’ Tigers kept Tyner within striking distance throughout, never trailing by more than six points, and used a 14-3 run over a six-minute span that closed out the third and began the fourth quarter to take a five-point lead.
But Smith started a Rams rally with a putback, followed by a layup and eventually the crisp pass to Conyer for the game’s 11th and final lead change.
“As soon as I caught the ball I looked at Tay because I knew he was getting open,” said Smith, who overcame having been called for his third foul in the third quarter. “I hit him with it, and he made the bucket. We don’t lose on our home floor.
“This lets us know where we are going into the (district) tournament.”
Besides forcing the two late turnovers that helped them hold on, the Rams also held Howard to five total points – only one made field goal with 1:58 remaining – in the final quarter.
“It was an ugly win, but it feels good,” Ward added. “We’ve been working out butts off in practice, and we pride ourselves on defense. Only giving up five points in the fourth, man that’s amazing.”
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.