Colbert in the clutch, Hits winner from midcourt as time expires
Published 11:00 am Friday, December 2, 2022
- The Warriors’ Bryson Colbert glides to the basket as Ellender’s Nylan Grogan avoids the contact Thursday night at Hamilton Christian School. Colbert hit the winning 3-point shot from midcourt as time expired. (Kirk Meche / Special to the American Press)
Bryson Colbert banked in a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to give host Hamilton Christian a 59-58 first-round win over Ellender at the Showdown in the Lake tournament.
Colbert’s shot saved the Warriors, who blew an eight-point lead in the final 2 minutes.
Ellender forced a series of turnovers and converted them into easy baskets down the stretch, taking a 58-56 lead on a basket by Jaiden Carter with 3.6 seconds left. Carter finished with 15 points.
After a timeout, Colbert received the inbound pass, beat an Ellender double-team and launched the winner from beyond the half-court line.
“He was supposed to be the decoy because I knew they would double him,” Hamilton head coach Dexter Washington said. “The ball went to him and I thought it had a chance when he let it go.”
The shot capped a 26-point effort for Colbert, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter.
Ellender drained four 3-pointers in the first quarter while taking a 22-9 lead against the taller Warriors.
Hamilton went small in the second quarter, limiting the Patriots to four points and cutting the deficit to three points at halftime.
“We went small and started pressing them, then they started to break it and get it to some players who could handle the ball,” Washington said.
“I heard Colbert on the court saying ‘We’re going man’ before I could get the words out. That’s what happens when you have senior leadership. We were able to get some steals and take some charges.”
The Warriors took their first lead at 34-32 on a Colbert basket midway through the third quarter.
The lead grew to eight late in the fourth on a basket by Melo Prince before Ellender’s charge over the final 2 minutes.
Hamilton advanced to face Ruston in the second round at 7 p.m. today.
“They have some size so it should be a better matchup for our big guys,” Washington said.
“A lot of credit goes to our assistant coaches who have been running practice a lot in the past two months. It shows what can happen when you have assistants who are willing to work.”
Shawn Westin and Javon Vital scored 10 each for Hamilton.
