Boys Basketball: Crane escapes TF North in overtime

Updated: January 21, 2012 10:08PM

When a coach tells his players not to pay any attention to an opponent’s losing record, they don’t always listen.

No. 25 Crane almost came to grief because of that on Saturday, but the Cougars outlasted T.F. North 66-62 in overtime at the Young Shootout.

The Cougars led 49-42 with 2:40 remaining in regulation, but committed enough turnovers down the stretch to allow T.F. North to cut the deficit to 50-49 with 2:10 left.

From that point on there were four ties and three lead changes. Crane trailed 54-52 with 35 seconds remaining, but a steal by Timothy Triplett and layup by Chris Davis tied the game at 54 with :25 remaining.

After two free throws by T.F. North’s Ashanti Randolph made it 56-54. Triplett saved the day again when he tied the score with three seconds remaining with a driving layup.

The overtime belonged to the Cougars, who blitzed the Meteors with a 9-2 run to take a 65-58 lead with :22 left in overtime.

Isaiah Hayes led Crane (13-4) with 23 points, while Davis had 13 points and 11 rebounds. Willie Conner added 10 points and Triplett had seven points and seven assists.

Crane coach Chris Head was very pleased with the way his team fought back to beat the Meteors.

“They are a very good team and well-coached,” Head said. “We made some costly mistakes that let them get back in the game, but we found a way to gut it out and get a victory.

“I think this team is starting to jell. We are a work in progress, but I like what I see.”

T.F. North coach Tim Bankston saw his team come up just short once again. “We have lost nine games by less than four points,” he said. “We are young and we have a bright future, and we are better than our record indicates. We had an opportunity to put them away and we got impatient and like any good team they capitalized on our mistakes.”

Greg McClain led four Meteors (8-12) in double figures with 17 points. Randolph had 15, Torin Washington had 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Nick Woods added 10.

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