Road weary Gosnell outlasts BIC

Braxton Matheny tries to score in close but is defended by Gosnell’s Glint Glintborg. Matheny drew the foul and connected on the and-1 during the third quarter of BIC’s homecoming game.David Pierce photos

MONETTE – Friday it came down to a question of which team’s stamina would hold up in the homecoming matchup between Gosnell and host Buffalo Island Central.

Gosnell’s Marcus Anderson floats through the lane as he puts up a shot during Friday’s game against Buffalo Island Central. Anderson’s 20 points were a team-high as the Pirates defeated BIC, 80-66.David Pierce photos

Would it be the Pirates, playing their sixth game in eight days? Or the Mustangs, normally with a six-player rotation, but reduced to five when Zander Jackson left the game with an injury in the second quarter?

BIC rallied to lead at the end of three quarters but the Pirates found their footing in the fourth period and won 80-66.

The Pirates had led by as many 11 through three-and-half quarters never allowing BIC closer than three points over the same time period.

BIC’s Kell Gathright tries to the protect the basketball from Jazten Williams and Kerrion Terry (14). Gathright was the game-high scorer with 24 points but his Mustangs lost, 80-66.David Pierce photos

However, with just that five-deep rotation, the Mustangs (4-11) roared back behind the efforts of Leo Contreras and Kell Gathright. The pair combined for 22 points in third quarter and Contreras’ three as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter gave BIC its first lead of the game at 59-56.

“Those two ran the top of the zone and kept balls alive,” said BIC head coach Taylor Layne of Contreras and Gathright, “and gave us some extra opportunities during that run. (Leo and Kell) and the rest of them there was no quit in them especially after getting punched in the mouth early. Extremely proud of how they fought back.

“We’re a small team,” continued the head coach. “It’s not unusual for us to play five guys 32 minutes. That’s no knock against our bench guys, I love ‘em but I typically play our rotation as the game dictates.”

With Jackson out with a busted nose sustained late in the first half and playing with a shorter rotation as a result, the Mustangs still mounted a stirring comeback in the third quarter.

BIC trailed 54-44 with just under three minutes left in the period when a Gathright steal turned into a Contreras fast break bucket. That ignited a 15-2 run over the remainder of the quarter.

Contreras then snagged a rebound on a Gosnell missed three and dropped in a tear drop in the lane. That trimmed the lead to six points and preceded a turnover when the Pirates were whistled for a charge.

The Mustangs missed a three ball but Gio Echavarria grabbed the ball and fed the ball to teammate Gathright who swished a three-point attempt. That cut the lead to 54-51 with 1:47 left before the end of the quarter.

Gathright then followed with a steal of the basketball and his ensuing bucket pulled the Mustangs closer at 54-53.

As the Mustangs inched closer, Jai Jacobs-Ford snapped the BIC scoring run when he scored on a drive to the hoop to up the Pirate advantage to 56-53.

Braxton Matheny then picked up a feed inside from Contreras and fought off a foul by Glint Gilborg to convert a basket in the paint. He calmly sank the and-1 opportunity to knot the game at 56-56 with :36 left in the quarter.

Matheny answered on the defensive end as well where he drew a charge against a driving Jacobs-Ford. That put the ball back in the host’s hands with just seconds left on the clock in the third period.

On the other end of the court, Contreras dribbled out of a double team in the corner and launched a three that caught nothing but net for a 59-56 lead after three quarters.

Were the Pirates (5-4) feeling the effects of that sixth game in eight days?

“Yeah, their legs showed it,” replied Gosnell assistant coach Wes Taylor, who served as interim head coach in Deantre Scott’s absence. “We were leaving shots short and weren’t pushing the ball like we had been earlier. Definitely weren’t communicating either.”

“You get up by that many points and there’s a tendency to get complacent too,” he added, “and take your foot off the gas.”

Well, it didn’t take the Pirates long to find the accelerator and press it to the floorboard.

The visitors scored first 11 points of the final stanza with Lamun Aldridge keying the spurt with a three-point basket.

Kerrion Terry picked off a BIC pass and found Marcus Anderson for a fast break bucket. The sophomore, who scored a team-high 20 points, gave the Pirates a lead they didn’t relinquish. In fact, they outscored the Mustangs 24-7 in the frame with seven players scoring points in the quarter. Anderson and Glintborg each tallied six points in the final frame.

“We have a super talented group,” said Taylor of his team. “I always know were in it despite being an extremely young team. The talent is there. Game by game you can see them getting better.

“Yes, we’ve had some early season challenges,” he added of a schedule which has included traditional powers Rivercrest and Osceola, along with reigning 1A champion Marked Tree, plus 6A Valley View. “We’re still growing and we’re happy to be where we’re at this point early in the season.”

In addition to Anderson’s team-high, Aldridge contributed 17 points for Gosnell, Jacobs-Ford 14 and Gilborg 13.

For the Mustangs, Gathright had a game-high 24 points, Contreras 20 and Matheny 11. Jackson finished with nine points before exiting the game.

“Yeah, we missed (Zander) down the stretch,” admitted Layne, “cause these guys we’re dog tired at the end. But they battled and competed against a good, physical team. Really proud of our guys.”