Junior Seminoles win close one over Colts

WILSON - Osceola’s Junior Seminoles narrowly defeated Rivercrest 60-53 on Thursday behind a stellar team performance on defense. The Junior ‘Noles had 16 steals and pulling down 27 rebounds in the contest. Osceola’s Marvel Carr dropped a game-high 20 points, on 8 for 10 shooting. Jaylen Hatch posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Fabious Hughes had an all-around solid game with 14 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals.

A trio of Junior Colts provided double-digit scoring despite the loss. Lathen Bolden had 14 points and a pair of steals, Christian Nunn matched that total and chipped in five rebounds, while Dion Spears ended with 12 points, three steals, and two assists..

Rivercrest outscored Osceola 13-10 in the first quarter. Nunn contributed seven of those points and struck from distance. Spears took over in the second quarter and led the way with six points. Bryson Newsome chipped in four points, and despite Hughes scoring seven second-quarter points, the Colts led 29-22 at half.

Osceola’s defense helped spark a comeback, forcing 15 turnovers in the second half. They put up 23 points in the third quarter as they got opportunities in transition. Carr scored seven points in the fourth quarter aided by Hatch’s six-point final quarter.

Osceola found the open man cutting the baseline several times during the comeback. Osceola Coach Tracy Allen, Jr. said that was something they’ve recently added. “We just made that adjustment today as a matter of fact, and it was good to see the players implement it already. They moved the ball well and I’m proud of how they played. That was a close one.”