Ragsdale 55, High Point Central 54
Ragsdale 9 13 9 13 11 55 High Point Central 13 8 9 14 10 54
High Point, NC – –
Coming into tonight’s game, the path for both the Bison of High Point Central and Tigers of Ragsdale was quite simple. Both teams needed wins in order to move up in the Piedmont Triad 4A Conference standings and both had been struggling to get on the correct side of the ledger as of late. Earlier in the season the Bison defeated the Tigers for the first time in five years. Ragsdale would be looking to return the favor tonight on the Bison’s home court.
In tonight’s game, the visiting Tigers would take an early first quarter lead thanks to two 3-pointers right off the bat. From there, the Bison would make a 9–0 run to take their first lead of the game. It would be the first of numerous lead changes on the night. The Bison would ultimately lead 13–9 at the end of the first period.
The second period was back-and-forth as the teams traded baskets in the first four minutes of the quarter. Ultimately Ragsdale was able to come out with a slim 22–21 lead going into the halftime break.
The third period was more of the same with both teams trading baskets. The Tigers and Bison were both only able to put up nine points in the quarter however, and the Tigers held a one point lead going into the final quarter.
Trailing by one point entering the final quarter, the Bison came out with some stifling defense. They were able to slow down the Ragsdale offensive attack long enough to create a five point lead for the Bison. An offensive rebound tap in cut the deficit to 3 for the Tigers with just over a minute remaining in regulation. After both team traded missed shots, the Tigers’ Greyson Collins hit a long range 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the game at 44 a piece with 20 seconds remaining. After a High Point Central timeout, the Tigers came up with a last second steal by Caleb Baldwin who then heaved the ball the length of the court only to have the ball bounce off the rim, then the backboard and then off. The game would go to overtime tied at 44.
In the overtime period, the Tigers started quickly with a bucket by Kyle Watkins. Central promptly responded with a deep 3-pointer to retake the lead. They would add on to their lead and were up by five points with one minute remaining in overtime. Greyson Collins split a pair of free throws to cut the Tigers’ deficit to four points. After a steal, Brian Free hit a huge 3-pointer for the Tigers, who now trailed 54-53 with about 15 seconds left in overtime. The Tigers fouled on the next possession to put the Bison at the line for two shots. Unfortunately for Central, they would miss both free throws. The Tigers’ Jarious Drayton would rebound the ball and take it the length of the court for the go-ahead lay-up with 6 seconds remaining in the game. The initial inbounds pass was tipped out of bounds with 3.8 seconds remaining, still in the Bison possession. The Bison got the ball to Jordan Twyman who penetrated into the lane and put up a shot that bounced off the rim and out, but it also came after the horn and would not have counted anyway. Ragsdale would walk away winning in thrilling fashion by the final score, in Overtime, of 55-54.
Ragsdale placed three players in double figure scoring on the night. Leading the way for the Tigers was a trio of Juniors in Kyle Watkins (16 points, 11 rebounds), Brian Free (15 points; 5 3-point FG’s) and Greyson Collins (10 points, 6 rebounds). Jordan Twyman led the Bison with a game-high 21 points on the night.
Ragsdale improves to 12 – 10 overall and 2 – 6 in the Piedmont Triad 4A Conference. High Point Central drops to 10 – 11 overall and 2 – 6 in the conference.
High Point Central (10 – 11, 2 – 6):
Jordan Twyman – 21 points
Jo’el Jenkins – 9
Raekwon Blocker – 8
Daylon McBryde – 5
Zab McPhail – 5
Willie Davis – 4
Laequan Little – 2
Ragsdale (12 – 10, 2 – 6):
Kyle Watkins – 16 points, 11 rebounds
Brian Free – 15
Greyson Collins – 10 points, 6 rebounds
Elijah Joyner – 3
Shakeel Moore – 3
Jarious Drayton – 2
Caleb Baldwin – 2
Mason Clement – 2
Nick Coleman – 2 points, 8 rebounds
Ragsdale next plays on Tuesday 2/9/16 at home at 7:30pm against East Forsyth HS.
Courtesy of Ragsdale assistant coach Brandon Mullis