Greg Hollis | [email protected]
PROSPERITY, S.C. — The Rebels varsity boys’ basketball opened region play with a huge comeback win after they erased a 20-point second half deficit. Mid-Carolina(7-8, 1-0 region 3-AA) defeated Columbia(3-14, 0-1 region 3-AA) 64-61 on Friday, Jan. 9th at home.
The Rebels opened region play with the basketball edition of ‘Friday Night Lights’ and they shined the brightest under those lights.
Mid-Carolina got off to an abysmal start and only scored four points in the first quarter. Columbia jumped out to a 20-4 lead in the first quarter and looked like they were going to run away with the win.
The second quarter was much better for the Rebels because they were about to outscore the visitors 19-11 point.. The Rebels’ back court really got things going for the team on offensive side of the ball in that quarter. Senior point guard Justice Scott and junior shooting guard Landen Wicker got things going on the offensive end. Both were able to knock down a three-pointer and scored five points each in the quarter.
Mid-Carolina was able to cut their deficit down to single digits and trailed 31-23 at the half. The third quarter went much like the first quarter.
The Capitals started the quarter on 8-3 run to start the second half and their lead jumped back up to a 16-point lead, 39-23. They weren’t done and the lead jumped up to as many as 20 points before the Rebels began to make their run.
Mid-Carolina closed the quarter on 9-1 run to cut their deficit down, and went into the fourth quarter trailing 45-32.
Things got interesting in the final quarter because Mid-Carolina probably played their best quarter of the season so far. The quarter started with Wicker knocking down a huge three-pointer to cut it down to single digits. Their run continued and they were able get their first lead of the game, 46-45.
Columbia wasn’t going away quietly and they were able to match Mid-Carolina’s run with one of their own. They were able to score seven straight points and take a commanding 53-46 lead with about four minutes left in the game. Junior forward Landon Templin began to make his presence felt in the game by coming up with every loose ball, grabbing offensive rebounds to give his team second opportunities and getting it done on the defensive end. He finished the game with 12 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Treyvon Smith also picked up his play late in the game. The eighth grade sensation scored eight of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. He finished the game with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
The Rebels found themselves trailing 53-48 with under three minutes left to play. Templin hit a big shot to cut the lead down, 53-50. Columbia went down to score a big bucket and the back-and-forth continued.
Wicker hit another big shot from three to cut the lead down to just three points, 57-54. The two teams traded a pair of free throws in the final minute to keep Columbia’s lead at three points, 59-56. Mid-Carolina missed a huge shot late but the basketball gods were working overtime that night.
The Rebels were forced to foul and Columbia missed the first of two free throw attempts. Then, they committed a lane violation on the second attempt to wave off the shot and give Mid-Carolina the ball back. Smith made the Capitals pay by getting a put back on the next possession to cut the lead down to just one point, 59-58, in the final 30 seconds.
Mid-Carolina was forced to foul again to save some clock, and Columbia made both free throw attempts. No worries because Levi Harr hit the shot of shots. The Rebels quickly pushed the ball up the floor and the sophomore guard ran hard off of a baseline screen to get to his spot. He then drills a corner three-pointer to tie the game at 61-61 with about 15 seconds left to play.
Columbia had trouble with the full court pressure and called a timeout after not having any left. Yes, the Capitals pulled a Chris Webber and Templin knocked down both free-throws after Columbia was handed the technical foul.
Mid-Carolina erased their 20-point second half deficit to get the win. Four players scored in double figures for the Rebels. Wicker finished the game with 17 points and Scott had 11 points along with the clutch performances from Smith and Templin. The Mid-Carolina student section stormed the court after the game as well.
The Rebels followed that big win with another one against Chester on Tuesday, Jan. 13th. They defeated the Cyclones 67-66 in overtime to start off region play 2-0. Mid-Carolina varsity boys will be back in action on Friday, Jan. 16th against Eau Claire at 8:00 p.m.
Reach Greg Hollis @ 803-768-3119 or on X @TheNBOnews