PORTAL — If there is one thing that basketball fans don’t want to miss, it’s a matchup between Claxton and Portal.
    The two bitter rivals rarely fail to produce memorable matchups on the hardwood and Friday was a perfect example as the two teams went neck-and-neck for four quarters and two overtime periods before Portal pulled out a 63-61 win.
    Also going according to script was Stacy Morgan playing the role of hero for the Panthers (12-4, 3-2 Region 3-A).
    The junior guard netted 28 points on the night, including a 3-pointer to draw Portal even in the waning seconds of the first overtime period and the free throws that provided the decisive margin with 7.1 seconds to play.
    “If you weren’t here tonight, you missed a great game,” said Portal coach Jeff Brannen. “Claxton is a good team and they gave us all we could handle. I wasn’t even sure how many overtimes we played. That was just an intense game.”
    For The Tigers (10-7, 1-4) the loss served not only as a rough chapter in the rivalry, but as another tough setback in their battle to find success within the sub-region.
    “This was a real heartbreaker,” said Claxton coach Eric Bluestein. “We’ve got four region losses. Two of them are in overtime and the other two were really close as well. Those losses hurt, but we also feel like our young team is really growing up and fighting hard.”
    Trailing 53-48 with just 28.9 seconds to play in regulation, the Tigers had to find some magic. Trey Hines connected on a layup and – after Morgan missed the front end of a 1-and-1 opportunity – Cornelius Taylor (27 points) drilled a 3 to tie the game.
    “We messed up a little at the end of regulation,” said Brannen. “But in high-pressure games, kids are going to sometimes make mistakes. The important part is that we got past it and regrouped.”
    Claxton gave itself a chance to win in regulation after stealing the inbounds pass, but couldn’t convert in the final 2.2 seconds.
    The Tigers nearly rode the momentum of the end of the fourth quarter to a win as they took a 56-53 lead with 3:16 to go in the first overtime.
    The teams traded two-point buckets before Morgan hit a deep 3 to know things up with 53.6 seconds to play in the period. Claxton ran the clock down, looking for the final shot, but couldn’t convert.
    After a few missed opportunities on both ends of the floor to begin the second overtime, Treston White put back a missed shot from Morgan to make it 60-59 Panthers with 1:51 to play.
    Marquise Wells hit a free throw with 32.1 seconds left, but Taylor knotted the score at 61-61 with a driving layup.
    Looking for the final shot, Morgan drove the lane and was fouled, then hit both free throws.
    Claxton went for the last-second win, but Taylor’s long 3 was just off of the mark.
    “We stayed in the game and almost pulled it off,” said Bluestein. “I thought we could have won it, but you have to give a lot of credit to a very good Portal team.”
    The first three quarters of action were just as dramatic.
    The Tigers built an early 7-2 lead, but the Panthers quickly rebounded and neither team ever led by more than six points.
    Portal took its first lead of the night on a jumper by Morgan early in the second half and the Panthers went up 16-10 on a free throw by Tyler Budgett, but Claxton stormed right back to take a 21-20 lead into halftime.
    “The way we like to play, we would expect to be ahead when we only allow 21 points in the first half,” said Brannen. “But we knew going in that it would be a grind. I’m proud of how everyone kept working hard out there.”
    A see-saw third quarter saw Claxton maintain a 40-37 lead into the final eight minutes of regulation, but Portal quickly rebounded. A pair of free throws by Robert Lee (7 points) gave the Panthers a 46-44 advantage with 4:44 to go and Portal held the lead until Taylor’s heroics at the end of regulation.

Claxton girls roll
    The Claxton girls made quick work of Portal in Friday’s first game, breezing to a 58-15 victory.
    Jazmine Price scored 19 points to lead the Lady Tigers (12-5, 4-1 Region 3-A) while Devonna Brewton notched eight and Ramona Berry, Diamond Bath and Ikeria Brown pitched in six points each.
    The Lady Panthers (6-9, 0-5) began the season with a bang, but have struggled since entering sub-region play. Portal is still enjoying its best showing by the girls’ team in years, but will have to regroup if it wants to make any noise at the region tournament.
    Claxton rode its defense throughout the night as Portal failed to score more than five points in any quarter.
    Shiann Hagins managed eight points for the Panthers, but no one else could break through.
    The Tigers cruised to a 34-10 halftime lead and only got stronger from there, putting the mercy clock into action for the final quarter.

    Mike Anthony may be reached at (912) 489-9408.