The Hixson Wildcats will be credited with a 61-60 victory over the Red Bank Lions in a critical and competitive District 6-AA basketball game at Red Bank’s Susan Ingram Thurman Gymnasium Thursday night, but the Lions actually won the game by a 62-61 final.
But because the discrepancy wasn’t determined until after the final horn had sounded and the officials gone for the evening, Hixson will get credit for the win.
“I’ve talked to coach Fike and he explained what happened, but nothing can be done at this point as it has to stand as recorded,” said TSSAA official Matthew Gillespie by phone Thursday night an hour after the game ended.
This reporter keeps a play-by-play for the entire game and the video of the game was reviewed following the game to verify the other score, but because both scorekeepers supposedly agreed that Red Bank only had eight points in the first quarter instead of 10, the scoreboard was changed at the half to reflect Red Bank with 26 points instead of 24.
It’s an unfortunate situation to be sure, but one that could not be corrected after the game ended.
Despite the controversy, it was a really good game.
Hixson had an 11-8 lead after the first quarter according to the book – 11-10 as documented by the video and this reporter’s play-by-play scoring – and the Wildcats opened things up by scoring 11 of the first 13 points in the second stanza for a 12-point lead three minutes into the action.
The “official” difference was 35-24 at the half and Hixson scored seven points in a hurry for an 18-point spread following a layup by Terry Moorer with 6:49 left in the third.
That’s when Red Bank’s intensity picked up.
The Lions got within three points – actually five according to the books – in the final minute of the third quarter before Moorer scored on a drive down the lane for a seven-point spread with eight minutes to play.
The Lions kept battling and they finally knotted the score at 54 with 5:31 to play on a drive by Calvin Jackson. Another drive by Will Thomas 22 seconds later gave Red Bank its first lead since early in the game at 56-54.
A slam by Braven Horton and two free throws by Jamvis Ponder sent the lead Hixson’s way by 58-56 before Jackson tied it again on another drive down the lane.
A putback by Tory Sewell gave Red Bank its last lead at 60-58 with 1:34 to play before Ponder knotted things at 60-each with two free throws at the 1:10 mark.
Horton then sank the second of two charity tosses for the winning point with 16.1 seconds left.
Red Bank had several chances in the waning seconds, but had a tough time getting the ball past the midcourt line and never got off what could have possibly been a game-winning shot.
“That was a tough one from the beginning,” said Kelvin Watson, a Hixson assistant standing in for head coach Lawanza Crutcher, who was not present for the game.
“I think it came down to which team wanted it the most, but it was a big district win any way you look at it and we’ll take it,” he said, not even aware of the scoring snafu that was discussed earlier.
“I thought we played hard from the very beginning and we’ll take a victory any way we can get it,” Watson added.
Red Bank’s Fike didn’t know quite what to say when the final horn sounded.
“I’m at a loss for words right now, but I’m not sure there’s anything we can do at this point,” he said after leaving Gillespie a voice-mail message.
“We aren’t very deep at point guard and that may have cost us late in the game. I thought we did a better job of executing our offensive sets in the second half, but we looked rattled and uncomfortable in the first half.
“I just know that we played our tails off to get back in it in the second half and it hurts to be stuck with a loss when we have evidence that a mistake was made in the official scoring. Tyner and Brainerd are heads and shoulders better than anyone else in our district, but everyone else is pretty even,” he added.
Horton finished with 23 points to lead the Wildcats while Ponder was next with 21, including 15 in the first half alone. Moorer was next with eight.
Will Thomas matched his jersey number with 20 points to lead the Red Bank attack while Chance Henderson followed with 17 and Sewell with 14. Jackson finished the game with nine points.
Red Bank also won the rebounding battle by an unofficial 26-20 margin. Henderson snagged nine for the Lions while Jackson claimed seven and Sewell six. Tyrese Hatcher, Moorer and Ponder all had five for Hixson.
RED BANK GIRLS 51, HIXSON 22: Kiki Evers scored 20 points to lead the Red Bank victory parade while Shelby Romans added nine and Mya Kennebrew eight.
Madison Jett and Kiera Taylor both scored six points apiece for Hixson.
GIRLS SUMMARY
HIXSON 8 8 4 2 -- 22
RED BANK 13 22 10 6 -- 51
HIXSON (22) – Jett 6, Swafford 4, Taylor 6, Ervin 2, Wyatt, Brown 4, Hunter, Henley, Pettaway.
RED BANK (51) – Roberts 3, Babb 7, Romans 9, Brown, Claiborne, Evers 20, Kennebrew 8, Bowens 2, Stewart, Pratt 2.
3-POINT GOALS: None for either team.
BOYS SUMMARY
HIXSON 11 24 18 8 -- 61
RED BANK 8 16 22 14 -- 60
HIXSON (61) – Alemeda 7, Hatcher 2, Moorer 8, Ponder 21, Horton 23, Beard, Sanderfer, White.
RED BANK (60) – Delaney, Schanley, Doss 2, Sewell 14, Henderson 17, Shelby, Thomas 20, Davis, Jackson 9, Jones.
3-POINT GOALS: Hixson 3 (Alemeda 2, Horton); Red Bank 5 (Thomas 4, Henderson).
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@gmail.com)