Covenant's Jesse Kinard brings the ball up the floor against Belhaven in the CCS tournament at Jackson, Miss. The Scots' comeback attempt fell short, 73-72.
photo by contributed
The Scots visited No. 2 seeded Belhaven for the CCS Quarterfinals looking to pull off an upset. Covenant played hard and had a chance to win the game on its final possession, but it wasn't meant to be as it lost by one point.
Final: Covenant 72, Belhaven 73
Records: Covenant (4-22, 0-12 CCS), Piedmont (17-9, 8-4 CCS)
FIRST HALF:
- The Scots opened the game on a 12-0 run, holding the Blazers scoreless for almost five minutes.
- Jesse Kinard scored seven consecutive points for Covenant, as his team continued to lead 22-8.
- A 9-0 run for Belhaven gave it some momentum and put the score at 22-17.
- David Compere knocked down a pair of triples to put the Scots up 28-21 and get their offense back in check.
- Covenant kept utilizing the 3-ball as Logan Pearlman and Compere got shots to go from downtown to put it up 34-23 with 3:52 remaining.
- The Blazers cut the lead to eight points, but the Scots scored four points in the final 42 seconds to go up 41-29 at the break.
SECOND HALF:
- Covenant kept its lead in double-digits in the first few minutes as a dunk from Pierce Smith put the score at 47-34.
- The Blazers scored five straight points to get within eight points at 51-43.
- Four made free throws, followed by a triple for the Blazers tied the game at 55, before Kinard responded with an old-fashioned 3-point play.
- Belhaven took its first lead of the game with eight minutes remaining off a successful alley-oop play while getting fouled.
- A triple by Kinard followed by a basket by Luke Crowden put the Scots back in front 66-65.
- The two teams went back-and-forth before a triple by Fisher Mitchell as the shot clock was expiring put Covenant within one point at 73-72 with 57 seconds left in the game.
- Belhaven missed two shots on the ensuing possession and gave Covenant the ball back with 11 seconds remaining to try and win the game.
- The Scots drew up a play that gave Compere an open look from three, but his shot and Smith's put-back both missed as time expired.
GAME NOTES:
- Covenant moves to 4-5 all-time against Belhaven and 0-2 all-time in the CCS Tournament.
- Kinard led all scorers with 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting.
- Compere ended his sophomore season with 20 points with five made triples.
- Covenant shot 45.3% (24-53) from the field and 45.8% (11-24) from the 3-point line while Belhaven was 45.6% (26-57) shooting and 33.3% (4-12) from behind the arc.
- Covenant had double the amount of fouls called on it than Belhaven at 26-13.
- At the free throw line the Scots were 86.7% (13-15) while the Blazers shot 54.8% (17-31).