East Hamilton’s Tyler Lowery drives against Tyner’s D. Jones during the first half of their game Tuesday.Whether it’s a safe idea or not, the Tyner basketball Rams have put a lot of energy into third quarters as of late. A lot of times they find themselves in a first-half hole, trying to weather the storm until the second half.
That transpired again Tuesday night, and the result was the same as in the past few games — a win.
The Rams scored 27 points in the third period — six more than they did in the first half — and went on to defeat East Hamilton 63-56 in a crucial District 6-AA game at Tyner.
“Our last seven games, the third quarter has been our best friend,” Tyner coach Gerald Harris said. “I challenged the guys at halftime because I was upset at the attitude of how we had approached the deficit. They hit every shot and we played bad, but not really bad.”
The Hurricanes (15-9, 7-5) held a 10-point halftime edge due to their hot shooting, but the momentum shifted and then accelerated on a controversial call. With the Rams (16-6, 8-4) leading 35-33, the Hurricanes’ Cody Knox went up for a shot and a foul was called on Tyner. Knox was awarded two shots, but the East Hamilton coaching staff contended that the ball went through the net and the basket should have counted.