|
TJ Warren's buzzer beater sends Riverside to Regionals
Friday February 26, 2010
Just before time expired, TJ Warren pulled up for a three-pointer two feet behind the line and drilled it to send his Riverside Pirates to the NCHSAA Regionals in Greenville. Before Warren’s heroics, Emanuel “Poobie” Chapman banked in a trey of his own to knot the game up at 59 with 57.6 seconds remaining.
After the game Warren said “it felt good, I knew it was going in.”
Warren was in foul trouble most of the night, picking up his fourth with 6:31 remaining in the game. The foul issues didn’t stop the sophomore from putting his stamp on the 4th quarter. Prior to “the shot” Warren converted an old fashioned three-point play to give the Pirates a 58-53 lead with 1:03 left. Warren had 7 of his 17 points in the 4th.
The visiting Eagles used runs to close out each of the first three quarters, taking a 28-27 lead into intermission. An Enloe 8-2 run at the end of the 3rd brought them within 42-41.
Riverside’s zone gave Enloe trouble, as the normally hot shooting guards DJ Rich and Charles Ashley only combined for one three-pointer. The 2-1-2 zone also kept Melvin Tabb and Marcus Walker from establishing deep post position. After a scoreless 1st quarter, Tabb went on to lead the Eagles with 17 points.
While the Pirate defense did its job, the offense was bothered by Enloe’s man to man and was plagued by turnovers. Enloe did a good job of converting turnovers into points and preventing Riverside to play at the breakneck pace they prefer.
Late in the 4th, Enloe coach Tommy Moore went to a fullcourt press after Riverside went on a 9-4 run. The Enloe press and missed free throws equated into a Enloe 6-1 run just before Warren’s heroics. The pivotal Pirate run was led by Tim Raven who scored 5 of his 9 in the 4th.
The 62-59 victory will be celebrated just long enough for coach Tim Ross to get the Pirates ready for Greenville next week. Riverside will be joined by Terry Sanford, New Hanover, and Millbrook in Regional play.
Kerry Smith
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
