EFFINGHAM — Langston Chapel Middle School brought its boys and girls basketball teams to the Coastal Empire Middle School Regional Championship in Effingham on Monday night, and while the boys brought the trophy back to Statesboro after a heart pounder, the Lady Blue Devils fell short.
The boys from Langston Chapel took it to the wire as Edwin Harvey's free throw with 9.1 seconds to go proved to be the difference in the nailbiter of a regional championship against the Burke County Cubs, giving LCMS a 31-30 victory.
The Blue Devils kept it close in the first quarter, as they were able to capitalize on four consecutive missed shots by the Cubs, and carried a 10-9 lead into the second. Under the strength of Michael Summers' eight first-half points, the Blue Devils were able to pull away in the second quarter, taking a comfortable 22-14 lead into halftime. They turned the ball over only five times in the first half, helping to secure the lead.
Burke County would not give up in the second half, relying on a combination of the Blue Devils' 2-for-7 shooting performance in the third quarter and solid rebounding to claw to within three points of the Devils.
LCMS would remain scoreless in the fourth and final quarter until there was 3:14 remaining in the game, allowing the Cubs to close the gap and take a 29-28 lead. The score would stay that way until the Devils' C.D. Johnson was fouled with under a minute to play. His two clutch free throws gave Langston Chapel a 30-29 lead. After the teams exchanged turnovers, BCMS's Jaquez Rosier was fouled with 16.9 seconds to go. Rosier's previous two foul shots had given the Cubs their earlier lead, and with time running out, these would prove to be even more clutch.
The noise provided by Langston Chapel's large crowd, as well as the cheerleaders and the Lady Blue Devils, was overwhelming, causing Rosier to miss the first foul shot. He focused in on the rim and sank the second, knotting the score at 30.
Foul shots proved to be the story in the final minute of the game, as the Cub's Mike Purdie fouled Edwin Harvey, and the Blue Devils' final shot from the charity stripe was the difference.
The clock expired before the Cubs could even attempt a shot, and the Langston Chapel fans and players stormed onto the court.
"I am so proud of all my eighth-graders," said Blue Devil coach Marty Holder after the heart-pounding victory. "The boys worked so hard for me from Day 1. Because of that, we were able to achieve this. The first time we played (Burke County) it wasn't close, but I knew going into it they were going to play tough."
The win marked the second consecutive championship for the Langston Chapel boys.
Lady Blue Devils 38,
Lady Gamecocks 44
The Lady Blue Devils did not fare as well as the boys. They kept it close until the second half, with the score knotted at 20-20 at halftime. They trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter, but Screvin County Middle School was able to pull away, taking home the trophy by a final score of 44-38. The Blue Devils' Sierra Kirkland led all scorers with 18 points.
"It feels great," said Gamecock head coach Lindsey Williams after the victory, "We knew Langston was going to be tough, but we pulled it out in the end."
The boys from Langston Chapel took it to the wire as Edwin Harvey's free throw with 9.1 seconds to go proved to be the difference in the nailbiter of a regional championship against the Burke County Cubs, giving LCMS a 31-30 victory.
The Blue Devils kept it close in the first quarter, as they were able to capitalize on four consecutive missed shots by the Cubs, and carried a 10-9 lead into the second. Under the strength of Michael Summers' eight first-half points, the Blue Devils were able to pull away in the second quarter, taking a comfortable 22-14 lead into halftime. They turned the ball over only five times in the first half, helping to secure the lead.
Burke County would not give up in the second half, relying on a combination of the Blue Devils' 2-for-7 shooting performance in the third quarter and solid rebounding to claw to within three points of the Devils.
LCMS would remain scoreless in the fourth and final quarter until there was 3:14 remaining in the game, allowing the Cubs to close the gap and take a 29-28 lead. The score would stay that way until the Devils' C.D. Johnson was fouled with under a minute to play. His two clutch free throws gave Langston Chapel a 30-29 lead. After the teams exchanged turnovers, BCMS's Jaquez Rosier was fouled with 16.9 seconds to go. Rosier's previous two foul shots had given the Cubs their earlier lead, and with time running out, these would prove to be even more clutch.
The noise provided by Langston Chapel's large crowd, as well as the cheerleaders and the Lady Blue Devils, was overwhelming, causing Rosier to miss the first foul shot. He focused in on the rim and sank the second, knotting the score at 30.
Foul shots proved to be the story in the final minute of the game, as the Cub's Mike Purdie fouled Edwin Harvey, and the Blue Devils' final shot from the charity stripe was the difference.
The clock expired before the Cubs could even attempt a shot, and the Langston Chapel fans and players stormed onto the court.
"I am so proud of all my eighth-graders," said Blue Devil coach Marty Holder after the heart-pounding victory. "The boys worked so hard for me from Day 1. Because of that, we were able to achieve this. The first time we played (Burke County) it wasn't close, but I knew going into it they were going to play tough."
The win marked the second consecutive championship for the Langston Chapel boys.
Lady Blue Devils 38,
Lady Gamecocks 44
The Lady Blue Devils did not fare as well as the boys. They kept it close until the second half, with the score knotted at 20-20 at halftime. They trailed by three heading into the fourth quarter, but Screvin County Middle School was able to pull away, taking home the trophy by a final score of 44-38. The Blue Devils' Sierra Kirkland led all scorers with 18 points.
"It feels great," said Gamecock head coach Lindsey Williams after the victory, "We knew Langston was going to be tough, but we pulled it out in the end."
