By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
MORTONS GAP -- Yogi Berra didn't play basketball, but he did warn it's not over until it's over and that wisdom definitely held true to the Hopkins County Central boys' basketball contest with Crittenden County on Thursday night.
Ahead just one point entering the game's final minute, each team benefited from multiple opportunities to seal the victory, but ultimately it was the Storm (19-8) who scratched out a 52-50 win against the Rockets (7-11) on Senior Night.
Central junior Cameron Tabor toed the line with 17.4 seconds remaining in the game and swished back-to-back free throws to put his team up four points and the game looked nearly comfortable for the home squad.
That's until Rocket guard Cody Holzer drained a three-point shot with a hand in his face on the right wing to cut the lead to one.
With 2.4 seconds left, senior Corey Coble made 1-of-2 free throws. Then, Crittenden's Courtney Gaige attempted a long pass to one of his teammates at midcourt. Coble deflected the intended toss and teammate Dan Croft collected the ball as time ran off the clock, securing a 52-50 Storm win.
The game's final minutes provided even more dramatics though before the last couple game-deciding plays.
Both Je'Vonte Hughes and Nikee Caldwell stepped to the free-throw line for a chance to knock down a pair of free-throws in the final 1:33. Each player missed the first in a bonus situation.
In between the players' misses, Courtney hit a jumper to make the game 47-46 in Central's favor.
On Crittenden's ensuing possession, Hughes made up for the miss by intercepting a Rocket pass. Hughes jumped in front of the pass near Crittenden's three-point line and slid all the way to Central's bench with the ball before coach Matt Bell called for a timeout.
It took Central two chances to get the following in-bounds pass into play. Crittenden fouled Tabor with 42 seconds to go and he made 1-of-2.
The Rockets could have held for a possible game-tying shot, but Courtney turned the ball over on a double-dribble with :32.3 left.
Chuck Jones also made 1-of-2, and down three Crittenden had another shot to tie the game.
With :19.5 remaining, Cody Dunham shot two free throws. Dunham made the first and the missed second shot, which fell to Tabor, who was fouled and made the ensuing free throws.
Jones ended the game as Central's leading scorer with 14 points, but the Storm played much of the game without the senior's presence due to foul trouble.
During his absence, Crittenden took advantage by mounting runs to stay in the game.
The Storm led until Jones left with his second foul with 4:42 before halftime. Central did not get the lead back until Jones re-entered in the third quarter.
Central's two seniors, Coble and Jones, combined to give their team the lead back and create a milestone for the former.
Thirty six seconds into the second half, Coble drove to the basket and then kicked out for Jones, who hit nothing, but net on his three-point shot. The bucket gave the Storm a 28-27 advantage and provided Coble with the all-time single-season assist record with 179.
Central held the lead nearly the rest of the contest, but never pushed it beyond six points.
Jones nearly reached a personal milestone of his own. The 6-9 post player finished just one point short of 500 for the season and nine short of 1,500 for his career.
The Storm will finish the regular season at 7:30 p.m. today at Apollo.
CCHS (7-11) 14 13 7 16 - 50
HCCHS (19-8) 17 6 16 13 - 52
CCHS: Cody Holzer 21, Brandon Deboe 9, Gaige Courtney 8, Cody Dunham 5, Casey Oliver 4, Dylan Clark 2, Alex Porter 1
HCCHS: Chuck Jones 14, Nikee Caldwell 13, Corey Coble 9, Cameron Tabor 7, Josh Riley 4, Jake Hopper 3, Je'Vonte Hughes 2
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