The Todd County Central boys’ basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak on Friday, winning 74-67 over Western (1-9) in the Baptist Health and Sports Rehab Holiday Classic at Webster County. The Rebels improve to 6-3 on the year, after falling to hosts Webster County 76-65 on Thursday.
Western jumped out to an 11-5 lead, with the Rebels seeing lost of shots roll off, but taking good care of the ball. Rebel senior Nolan Barrow scored 5 straight, followed by a rebound and putback by senior center Collin Sharp, to cut the Warrior lead to 16-12. Rebel senior Jon Calvery hit a cutting Tashaun Foster for a layup just before the horn, and they trailed 21-16 going into the second quarter.
The Warriors opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run leading to a Todd County timeout, down by double-digits for the first time at 26-16. Barrow got hot for the Rebels, scoring 7 straight, but the Rebels couldn’t get defensive stops and still trailed 38-29. Sharp knocked down two free throws with just over two minutes left in the half to start a 6-0 run that included 4 points by sophomore guard DJ Johnson. The Rebels had the ball and an opportunity to tie it at 38-35, but turned it over and fouled and Western took a 40-35 lead into the break.
Barrow was the half’s leading scorer with 19, followed by Sharp’s 6 and Calvery with 4.
Barrow scored on consecutive trips out of the locker room to cut the lead to 40-39, but Western responded with an 11-0 run fueled by three made three-pointers in a minute, to lead 51-39. With the Rebels on a three-game slide and coming off a loss on Thursday, it seemed they could be ready to fold, but instead launched an 11-2 run of their own, capped off with a with a Calvery bucket to pull to 53-50. With the Warriors still clinging to a 3-point lead, they knocked down a demoralizing 3 at the buzzer to lead 59-53 going into the final quarter.
Sharp began the fourth quarter with a bucket, the last points any Rebel other than seniors Barrow and Foster would score for the next six minutes. Foster would score the next 9, tying the game first at 61 and then 64. With 3:10 to play, Barrow stepped to the line and knocked down both free throws to give the Rebels their first lead of the night at 66-64. With under two minutes, Calvery connected on 2 free throws, and Western answered with 1 of 2, making it 68-65. From there, Barrow went 6-6 from the free throw line, and the Rebels claimed a much-needed 74-67 win.
Barrow had a huge night, scoring 34 points to lead the Rebels, but he also achieved a much greater milestone, passing the 1000 point barrier for his Rebel career. With the game in the balance, Barrow scored 11 third-quarter points and then shot a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line down the stretch in the final minutes. Foster and Calvery followed with 11 each, and Sharp had 8. Junior guard Clayte Weathers scored 4, and DJ Johnson, senior forward Elijah Bell, and junior forward Sydney Johnson had 2 each. Sophomore guard Justin Rager took a hard fall fighting for a rebound and did not return to the game. Rager was shaken up, but left the floor under his own power.
The Rebels conclude their participation in the Baptist Health and Sports Rehab Holiday Classic when they face 7-1 Christian County on Saturday. The Colonels are undefeated in the tournament and beat hosts Webster County 78-69 in Friday’s nightcap.
