Hornets go overtime again, earn victory over Camden Fairview
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By Rob Patrick
RUSSELLVILLE — Two days, two overtimes, two victories.
The Bryant Hornets finished regulation play with a 9-2 run including a layup by Kyle Nossaman with :12.8 left to send the game into overtime. Then, sparked by the rebounding and defense of Eric Moore and 4 points and a sweet assist by Brantley Cozart, they downed the Camden Fairview Cardinals 53-47 in the consolation final of the Cyclone Classic at Russellville High School.
On Friday, the Hornets went to overtime before defeating the Sheridan Yellowjackets for their first win of the season.
Junior Jordan Griffin led the way during regulation with 17 points and eight rebounds. Cozart finished with 14, Houston Garner 9 and Quinton Motto 8.
Moore only scored 2 points but, despite being a 6-foot post player in the middle of taller foes, he also gathered 12 rebounds including five in overtime.
“It was great to get a win (Friday), that first one, to get that out,” stated Hornets coach Mike Abrahamson. “I think it helped us today certainly. It gave us a little bit more confidence to know that we can hang in there and be tough.
“I’m so happy for them,” he said of his team. “They deserve this so much. They have worked so hard. They have great attitudes, they’re great young men, they stay out of trouble, they make good grades. Kyle Nossaman took the ACT this morning. He’s got a 32 on the ACT and he’s takes the ACT this morning. That’s the kind of kids that I have. So, we’re 2-6, 6-2, whatever. That’s the type of place Bryant is and that’s why I’m so happy to be here.”
Fairview led 40-31 with 4:38 left to play when Cozart hit a reverse layup then, at the other end, took a charge on a drive by the Cardinals’ Derek Keaton, who led his team with 17 points.
Griffin was fouled with 3:56 to go and converted both ends of the one-and-one.
After going 5 for 5 in Thursday’s Classic opener against Arkadelphia and 12 of 12 at the line against Sheridan, Griffin was 6 for 6 on Saturday, making him 25 of his last 25 dating back to the Hornets game against Wynne when he made his last two.
The Hornets trailed just 40-35 when Fairview called a timeout with 3:37 left to play. When play resumed, both teams missed shots then Motto swatted away an attempt by Keaton. Fairview’s 6-5 Ethan Lee grabbed the rebound but the Hornets forced a turnover and, with 2:42 left, Griffin knocked down two more free throws.
Another turnover led to a trip to the line for Cozart after he used a pump fake to get the defender off his feet, a tactic that Garner also used to good effect during the game. Cozart hit a free throw to make it a 2-point game.
Now in a trapping press, the Hornets forced yet another miscues and, once again, Cozart went to the line. This time, he converted twice to tie the game at 40 with 1:22 to play.
Fairview called timeout then worked the ball until Lee was fouled with :24.7 showing. He converted twice to give the Cardinals what turned out to be their last lead.
On Bryant’s end, the ball came loose under the basket and Nossaman scooped it up and scored to tie it. Fairview’s Brandon Keaten got a shot at winning it but his 3-pointer was off the mark.
In overtime, Garner used the pump fake inside to get a shot over Lee, snapping the deadlock. Patrick Gillette got loose on the off side at the other end, hit a layup and was fouled with 3:13 left. He missed the free throw, however, and the game remained tied.
Nossaman, who had collected eight rebounds for the Hornets, had tried to take a charge on Gillette but when the block was called against him, he’d fouled out.
Moore, who starting the game after playing well against Sheridan, re-entered the game and made a quick impact. He hauled down an offensive rebound on Cozart’s missed 3. He quickly got it back to the junior guard for a basket that put the Hornets ahead to stay.
Derek Keaton missed for Fairview and, with 2:08 left, Abrahamson called a timeout. When play resumed, Cozart and Motto worked a splendid pick and roll. The result was a layup for Motto and a 48-44 lead for the Hornets.
After Moore hauled down a rebound off a missed Fairview attempt, the Hornets got another timeout with 1:27 to go. Cozart was fouled at the :59.7 mark and extended the lead to 6.
Another miss by Fairview was collected by Motto who was fouled. He was also cut on the play and had to come out so Logan Trudell came in cold off the bench and knocked down the second of two free throws to make it 51-44.
Derek Keaton kept his team alive with a 3 with :31 to go and the Cardinals quickly fouled Cozart who, after a timeout, couldn’t get either shot to fall.
Moments later, Moore was snatched another rebound off a Fairview miss. He went to the line with :16.9 to go. And, though he missed both shots, Motto kept the ball alive and Garner saved it from going out of bounds with a flip back to Moore under the basket for a layup that sealed the win.
“He’s a tough kid,” Abrahamson said of Moore. “He’s an energetic kid. That’s his biggest strength and we love it. Sometimes we have to get him to calm down, but that’s what I’m looking for. Other people feed off that.
“He was big,” the coach continued. “He knows his role. He knows he’s undersized for a post player But his energy and his enthusiasm and his strength and his knowledge, knowing where to be and when to be there makes him effective. And when I call on Eric Moore, he’s ready to go.
“The bench was into it and that really helped us,” he added. “Those guys that don’t get to play a lot really compete in practice and make our starters better. Today, their enthusiasm really compelled us to having energy when it was the third game in three days. We had overtime (Friday) and we had overtime today. Our bench was big. I always tell our guys their value to the program is not measured in minutes played. Everybody brings certain things to the program and everyone within the program is important.”
Fairview, usually among the best teams in Class 5A, won the 5A-Southwest Conference championship last season and looks to have the talent to contend again this year. The three games the Cardinals played at Russellville were their first of the season after 14 of the 16 players completed the football season the previous Friday. One of their top scorers was hampered by a bad ankle and, for the third game in a row they faltered late indicating, in part, that they’re probably not in basketball shape yet.
Still, it was a quality win for the Hornets.
“That’s a very athletic and good team in Fairview,” Abrahamson acknowledged.
The Cardinals led 12-4 after a quarter and extended the margin to 16-4 early in the second quarter, a run punctuated by a dunk from Lee.
Griffin sparked a Bryant rally with a 3. Motto added a baseline jumper and Garner scored off an inbounds play to trim the margin to 16-11.
Free throws by Sedric Porchia and Lee around a driving jumper by Griffin made it 19-13. Cozart took a charge and, with :57 left, Griffin drained a pair of free throws to make it a 4-point game at the half.
Derek Keaton opened the second-half scoring with a free throw but, after both teams missed chances three times, Cozart drained a 3 to cut the lead to 20-18. Lee hit a jumper but Griffin trumped that with a triple that had the Hornets within a point with 4:47 left in the third quarter.
Fairview made a bid for a big run before the quarter was over but a three-point play by Garner (again using the pump-fake inside) and free throws by Motto kept Bryant within 32-26 going into the final period.And when Motto scored off the offensive glass and Griffin drained another trey, it was 32-31.
Lee got the Cardinals back on track and they surged to the 40-31 lead that they were unable to maintain.
Bryant hit 12 of 13 free throws during regulation including 7 of 8 in the fourth quarter.
In reviewing his team’s work in the tournament, Abrahamson listed the ways the Hornets had moved forward.
“Just in general, toughness, getting to the basket,” he said. “And, sometimes we’re not getting great shots when we go to the basket but we’re getting more good attempts going at the rim than we were. And that’s a toughness thing.
“Getting defensive stops at crucial moments,” he added, “and not just getting the other team to miss and the rebound just caroms off to us but knowing where to be, communicating when the shot goes up, knowing who you’re going to block out, getting them out and then going after the rebound. There’s a lot that goes into it. It’s not just that the ball fell our way. The kids are working.”
The Hornets will try to continue that work on Monday, Dec. 13, at home against the Lake Hamilton Wolves.
HORNETS 53, CARDINALS 47, OT
Score by quarters
BRYANT 4 11 11 16 11 — 53
Camden Fairview 12 7 13 10 5 — 47
HORNETS 53
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
Griffin 4-15 6-6 0-3 3 2 17
Nossaman 1-6 0-0 0-8 8 5 2
Garner 4-9 1-1 2-3 5 1 9
Moore 1-2 0-2 6-6 12 2 2
Motto 3-9 2-2 3-4 7 3 8
Cozart 4-9 5-8 0-1 1 4 14
Bell 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Cambron 0-0 0-0 1-0 1 0 0
Trudell 0-0 1-2 0-0 0 0 1
Team 2-2 4
Totals 17-50 15-21 14-27 41 17 53
CARDINALS 47
Player fg-fga ft-fta reb fls pts
o-d-t
D.Keaton 7-18 2-5 1-2 3 2 17
Harris 1-5 0-0 0-1 1 4 2
Lee 3-9 5-6 6-7 13 3 11
Porchia 1-4 1-2 4-2 6 2 3
B.Keaton 2-10 4-4 1-4 5 5 9
Gillette 1-4 0-1 2-0 2 0 2
Elliott 0-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Brown 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Stevens 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0
Reed 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 3 3
Easter 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0
Team 3-2 5
Totals 16-55 12-18 17-18 35 21 47
Three-point field goals: Bryant 4-16 (Griffin 3-5, Cozart 1-6, Garner 0-3, Nossaman 0-2), Camden Fairview 3-20 (B.Keaton 1-8, D.Keaton 1-4, Reed 1-2, Harris 0-2, Lee 0-2, Gillette 0-1, Elliott 0-1). Turnovers: Bryant 16, Camden Fairview 16.
