Tyner's Kobe Smith had the game of his young prep basketball career, and sophomore teammate Kameron Dozier hit a shot that he'll tell his kids about one day.
Smith looked like a man possessed as he refused to let his Rams lose at home Friday night to District 6-AA rival Howard. The junior scored 31 points and Tyner won 51-50 on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc by Dozier with 1.5 seconds left that sent the capacity crowd into hysteria as his team mobbed him at midcourt.
"I just felt like the team needed me to step up," Smith said. "Amon (Grace) got in foul trouble early, but we carry each other. That's what we are. We don't have anybody but ourselves. We're brothers, so when one's down we're all going to help him up. That's what I did tonight."
The win gives Tyner (12-3, 6-0) sole possession of first place in the standings - both teams came in undefeated in the district - but it didn't come easily. Dozier's 3-pointer gave the Rams their first lead since the game was 1-0.
"Sometimes you have to win ugly games," Tyner coach E'Jay Ward said. "Kobe is a load down there. He can play inside and outside, and tonight he just carried us. The guys have learned how to battle through adversity and grind out wins, and the past two weeks they've been battle-tested and have pulled out wins."
The game lived up to the excitement that built both inside and outside the gym long before the opening tip. Not only was the gym packed to capacity, but many people were either turned away or left standing outside.
Howard controlled the game throughout the first half behind Calvin James and Marquez Williams, consistently taking the ball to the rim with authority as the Hustlin' Tigers built a 30-24 halftime lead. They extended that lead to 39-30 going into the fourth quarter and led by 13 during the final period.
Smith wouldn't let the Hustlin' Tigers pull away, though, and Melique Hambrick hit the Rams' first 3-pointer after they went 0-for-9 in the first three quarters.
Down four points with just more than a minute left, Smith made two free throws on a technical foul against Howard's coach, and then a layup to pull the game even. James, who led Howard with 16 points, countered with a layup with 17 seconds left, setting the stage for Dozier.
"My coach always preaches about the next play," said Dozier, who missed a 3 just seconds before. "When the ball came to me, I had confidence in myself. When I made it, it just felt good."
Both teams have district games next Tuesday, as Tyner travels to East Ridge and Howard hosts Red Bank.
Contact Kevin Llewallyn at sports@timesfreepress.com.