Late Free Throws Send Georgia Northwestern Bobcats To 4th Straight Victory

  • Friday, January 20, 2017
  • Scott Herpst

The Georgia Northwestern Bobcats hit six clutch free throws in the final minute and pulled out an 82-77 win over the junior varsity Scots of (NCAA) Division III Covenant College Thursday night atop Lookout Mountain.

With the victory, the Bobcats improved to 8-6 on the season and extended their winning streak to four games.

Georgia Northwestern took the early lead, but the Scots came roaring back to go up nine, 27-18, with 11 minutes to play in the opening half. They would add to their advantage over the next 4:30, taking their biggest lead of the night, 36-24, with 6:30 remaining before halftime.

But the visitors would be equal to the task and they would close out the half on a big 26-10 run. Sophomore Clynt Bell provided a spark with five quick points, including a 3-pointers, and he later sunk a free throw to put the Bobcats back in front, 43-42, with 1:50 left before intermission. A final few buckets would give Georgia Northwestern a 50-44 halftime edge.

The second-half would be a tight one. Covenant would score the first six points to knot the game at 50 and the Scots would forge a two-point lead at the 14:30 mark. The Bobcats would regain the lead, 56-54, on a 3-point play by Darrius Fugh with 14 minutes to go and they would still own a two-point advantage, 64-62, five minutes later.

The score would be tied at 69 with 6:30 to go and again at 75 with 1:45 left. A Daniel Parrish free throw gave the Bobcats a 76-75 lead, but a quick lay-up at the other end would put the home team up by one with just over a minute left in regulation.

That's when the Bobcats' free throw shooting, which had been somewhat shaky in their last three games, got good when it counted.

Parrish drove the lane and drew a foul with 60 seconds left, making both to put Georgia Northwestern back in front by one. Following a Covenant miss, Fugh grabbed a big defensive rebound and was sent to the line, where he drained two shots with 16.7 seconds left and after the Scots' final shot attempt missed, Demonte Parker hit two final free tosses with less than a second to go to ice the victory.

Fugh blistered the nets for 33 points, including an 11-for-13 night at the foul line. The 33 points was the third-highest single-game performance in Bobcat history and the sophomore now owns three of the four highest-scoring games all-time for the program. He also finished with eight rebounds.

Parker kept up his outstanding recent play with 18 points to go with three steals. Bell dropped in 10 important points, while Parrish had a workman-like nine points and seven boards. Alec Rattanaxay and Darius Floyd chipped in with six points each.

The Bobcats will play two games next week. They will travel to Hiwassee College next Tuesday (Jan. 24) for the first of two regular season meetings with the Tigers. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. A win would give them a five-game winning streak, the longest since the 2014-2015 season.

Then on Saturday (Jan. 28), Georgia Northwestern will host Rec Night at the Rossville Athletic Center as Oxford-Emory College comes up for a late 4:30matinee. The Bobcats beat the Eagles, 77-72, in Covington on Jan. 13.

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