Written across the Red Bank boys’ basketball team’s warmup shirts are these words: “Make ’em believe.”
Consider the Central Purple Pounders among the new believers.
State tournament qualifiers last season and district favorites this year, they needed a late rally and overtime to hold off Red Bank 67-63 for a District 6-AA home win Friday night.
The Lions forced Central to slow down their pace and play more of a half-court game, and that strategy nearly paid off in the form of a win.
“Let’s face it, we don’t have a half-court team,” Central coach Rick Rogers said. “They made us play that way, and we were crippled by it. Our offense was stagnant most of the game, but we survived somehow.”
Both teams entered the game 4-0, but while Red Bank hadn’t yet played a district game, Central was facing its third league foe.
The Lions led for most of the first half and throughout much of the game, but Central’s pressure defense jump-started a couple of key scoring runs.
Trailing by six points as the second quarter began, the Pounders forced turnovers on six consecutive possessions, turing those into 11 consecutive points. Red Bank finally answered by taking better care of the ball and making the pace more deliberate on its way to regaining a three-point lead going into halftime.
The Lions led by 10 points in the third quarter but Central’s defensive pressure turned things frantic just long enough for a 14-0 run that spanned from late in the third to the early minutes of the fourth and eventually led to a five-point lead.
There were five ties in the final four minutes of the fourth, with Malik McConnell’s two free throws with 46 seconds remaining in the quarter making it 51-all.
Central missed a jumper at the buzzer but opened overtime on a 10-2 run, sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Jamichael Poole and Rodney Benford and maintained at least a three-point lead until the final minute. Red Bank closed within two on a free throw by Kolbi Suttles, but the Pounders countered with a layup and free throw that put the game away.
Ryan Montgomery led all scorers with 28 points, nine rebounds and five steals for Central, while Benford finished with 15 points and Terron Hayes added 10.
Suttles led a balanced Red Bank offense with 17 points, and McConnell and Will Davis each had 16.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293. Follow him on Twitter @StephenHargis.