Brister scores 39, Rosepine rallies to beat Vinton
Published 10:04 am Friday, January 31, 2025
- Rosepine's Koby Perry-Calhoun and Vinton's Keithan Rigmaiden dive for a loose ball during a at Vinton High School on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (Rodrick Anderson / American Press)
VINTON – Rosepine was faced with a daunting task Thursday evening at Vinton High School. They needed a way to dig out of a 14-point deficit. They responded with a massive run fueled by defense and the hot hand of senior Hayden Brister as they rallied to beat Vinton 75-69 in overtime.
The win extended the Eagles’ (22-3, 5-0) win streak to 19 games and a two-game lead on the rest of District 4-2A. It was the Eagles’, the No. 6 team in the Select Division III power rankings, second close win over the No. 1 team in the Nonselect Division IV power rankings. Rosepine beat Vinton 65-59 in the first meeting on Jan. 14.
Brister scored a game-high 39 points, including 13 during the Eagles’ 21-3 run that changed the game. Brister’s 10 rebounds gave him a double-double along with teammate Emmanuel Brownlee (16 points, 12 rebounds).
With 1:45 left in the third quarter, Vinton took its largest lead, 49-35, when Jerryckson Gonzales scored on a fast break. Brister gave the Eagles a spark with a 3-pointer 40 seconds later. He added two more threes in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, including one that gave the Eagles their first lead, 53-52, early in the second quarter.
During the big run, the Eagles used a strong defense, including a full-court press, to stymie the Lions’ high-scoring offense (61 ppg). They held Vinton without a field goal for the first four and a half minutes of the fourth quarter.
Rosepine’s Emmanuel Brownlee tied the game with a jump shot with 26 seconds left in regulation, and the Eagles forced the Lions into a turnover under their basket with 1.8 seconds left.
Vinton struck first in overtime on a shot by Keithan Rigmaiden, but Brister scored six points in overtime, including a coast-to-coast layup after getting a rebound for a 71-69 lead with 43 seconds left.
Vinton’s Jaheim Levias had a double-double with 23 points and 18 rebounds. He made a three-point play with 1:26 left in the fourth quarter to put the Lions up 65-63. D.J. Broussard scored 23 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, and Rigmaiden finished with 12.
