There was little doubt about what the final play would be for the Hickory High boys on Thursday night. It was really only a matter of deciding which player would take the shot.
Raheim Connelly hit a 3-point shot with a bit more than three seconds to play, giving the Red Tornadoes a 67-64 victory over Alexander Central and another Catawba Valley Classic basketball title.
Top-seeded Hickory (11-2) won the Classic, played at Catawba Valley Community College, for the 16th time in the tournament’s 25-year history.
Connelly and teammate Jalen Byrd combined for 57 points with a hot touch from the 3-point line. Connelly had 30 points on 10-of-19 from behind the arc, while Byrd – named tournament MVP – hit four of nine and finished with 27 points.
“We really doubled up on that play,” said Hickory head coach Shawn Johnson of the final moments. “We had Gavin (Huffman) come up and set a high screen so we could penetrate off of Raheim’s side.
“We also had a down screen for Jalen popping up, because we felt like both of them were shooting the ball very well.
“Jordan (Walls-Davis) made a great decision on the kick to Raheim and he hit the shot.”
Hickory moved the ball effectively on the perimeter all night. The Red Tornadoes had assists on 10 of their 15 3-pointers.
The game itself featured seven ties and 13 lead changes with neither team going up by more than seven.
“It was a great game,” said Cougars head coach Ed Wills, whose third-seeded team dropped to 8-4. “Both teams really competed and fought hard.
“I thought the officials did a really good job by letting the teams play. …
“If you were probably sitting in the stands and don’t care who wins, it was worth the price of admission.”
Hickory led 16 -14 in the opening quarter, largely on what turned out to be the warm-up act by Connelly, who hit four straight 3-pointers at one point.
Jonas Watts, who led the Cougars with 17 points, had six in the first quarter with two 3-pointers,
The Cougars, who had seven turnovers in the first quarter, finally settled down and enabled their offense to get into a flow.
Cameron Grant opened with two jumpers and a runner for a 20-all tie, then Watts chipped in a top of the circle jumper for three points. Alex Ayer (15 points) also added two free throws and a layup to give the Cougars a 28-23 lead before Byrd’s layup, followed by a free throw, cut the margin to 28-26 at the half.
Alexander Central built a five-point edge again with 6:23 to play in the third quarter, but Hickory’s full-court press began to pay dividends.
Forcing turnovers on four straight possessions, the Red Tornadoes sparked a 12-1 run for a 42-36 lead. Byrd scored 10 of those points, helped by two his two steals. He ahd 18 points in the third quarter, making four of five 3-point tries.
Hickory was ahead 45-38 with 2:38 remaining, but the Cougars rallied to tie at 48 entering the final quarter.
The Red Tornadoes were up 64-60 with 1:15 to play. Ayer cut it to two on a stick-back and then took a pass from Grant for a layup that tied it at 64.
That set up Connelly’s heroics and he scored to finish with 12 points in the final quarter.
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