Lindblom upends Payton; U-High holds on

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

Sedric Ferguson’s tip-in at the buzzer off an inbound pass pushed Lindblom past Payton 49-48 Tuesday in a Class 3A regional semifinal at U-High.

Dan Jackson led Lindblom (11-18) with 15 points and Ferguson added 12. Chris Eversley and Christian Bird led the Grizzlies (19-11) with 12 points each.

After leading by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Grizzlies fell behind in the final minute. But Grant Chappell hit a bank shot from the top of the key to give Payton the lead with 15 seconds left.

After the Grizzlies knocked the ball out of bounds on the other end, Lindblom called timeout with two seconds to play and drew up the game-winner.

‘‘It was exactly the play we called,’’ Ferguson said. ‘‘It worked perfectly.’’

After making just seven of their first 15 free throws, the Eagles made their next 13 free throws to get back in the game.

Eversley scored all 12 of his points in the first three quarters, but picked up his fourth foul with 3:50 remaining in the third and Payton up by 10.

U-High 64, Ellison 52: Host U-High jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead, then withstood an furious Ellison comeback to hold on for the victory in the other semifinal.

Zeke Upshaw led all scorers with 21 points for the Maroons (22-4), which advance to Friday’s regional final.

Terrell Dixon led a late rally for the Cougars (13-10), scoring 11 of his team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter. His steal and three-point play midway through the quarter cut the lead to 48-46. But Ellison was never able to get any closer.

‘‘We just new we had to turn it up,’’ Upshaw said. ‘‘We were playing a little lackadaisical.’’

Danny Levine’s three-point play off a driving layup put the Maroons up by eight with 1:20 remaining in the game.

Jordan Gipson added 11 points for the Maroons.