DJ Adams’ 3-pointer lifts Great Falls over Lewisville in latest rivalry classic

Great Falls guard DJ Adams hit the game-winning three from the right wing with four seconds remaining to give the Red Devils a 54-52 win over archrival Lewisville on Saturday night in Richburg.

The shot was witnessed by a sold-out, standing-room-only crowd that had bought tickets over a week in advance — and it capped off a Great Falls comeback: The Lions had taken a 52-50 lead with sixteen seconds left when Demetric Harden made the front end of a pair of free throws. He missed the second one, and the Red Devils got down the floor and worked the ball to Adams, whose shot hit nothing but net.

Immediately after his shot, Lewisville took the ball out, but made an errant pass, and the Red Devils got it back. Kelton Talford was fouled and made the first of two free throws before a scuffle erupted in the stands behind the Lions’ bench with two seconds left.

After order was restored, the game was officially ruled over.

Great Falls led, 37-35, when the forth period started, and the team increased its lead to 42-35 when Adams nailed a trey with 6:41 left. The Lions charged back. They went on a 9-0 run and led 44-42 with 4:31 remaining when Hardin was good on two charity tosses.

When the clock ticked down to 1:28 Hardin made a pair of three throws to give the Lions a 50-46 cushion. Talford scored on a layup with 1:01 to go, but Hardin answered by making one of two free throws for a 51-48 Lions’ lead. Adams scored on a layup to cut the deficit to 51-50 and set up the end of the game sequence.

The Red Devils led 15-11 after one period, but the Lions won the second period by a count of 16-7 to take a 27-22 lead at halftime. It would have been more, but the Red Devils’ Kell Brown scored from behind the arc just ahead of the buzzer.

Great Falls battled back in the third quarter and took a 34-31 lead when Brown nailed another 3-point shot. Harden and Jadon Scott scored on layups for a 35-34 lead, but Brown was good on another 3-pointer with one second left, and the Red Devils led 37-35 heading to the final eight minutes.

Talford led the Red Devils with 19 points. Brown added 13, and Adams chipped in 10. Harden led Lewisville with 16 points.

“We have not played well in back-to-back games this year,” said Great Falls head coach Alex Fair. “We did tonight. We knew it was going to be a dog fight, because it always is.”

The Red Devils, who defeated Timmonsville on Friday night, shrugged off a sluggish second period and some foul trouble to come back and pick up the win.

“We mixed up our defenses in the second half,” added Fair. “We had players step up when we got in foul trouble. That was big for us tonight.”

Great Falls is 17-3 overall, while Lewisville is 10-7 in all games.

Girls’ game: ‘A big rivalry game’

The Lions took an 11-6 lead after one period on their way to winning the girls’ game, 42-31.

Allie Keels got Lewisville started with a layup, and Malaurie Martin added a 3-point goal for a 5-0 lead. Great Falls cut the deficit to 7-6 with 55 seconds left in the opening period, but Destini Simpson and Emerson Dickman scored in the final 30 second to extend the Lions’ lead after one period.

The Lions pushed the lead to 17-10 at intermission. Keels led the way by getting half of Lewisville’s six points in the quarter. Nia Canty opened the third quarter by scoring four straight points for Great Falls to cut the lead to 17-14, but Keels answered with three free throws for a 20-14 cushion.

When Keels banked home a layup with 2:14 left in the third period, Lewisville was in front 22-15. Emerson Dickman added a four-footer in the lane, and Martin scored on a layup to give the Lions a 26-15 lead with 1:21 to go in the quarter. Ayana Kennedy nailed a 3-point goal and Canty hit one of two layups for the Red Devils to close the quarter and trim the deficit to 26-19.

Great Falls cut the deficit to 28-22 with 7:01 left in the game, but they would get no closer. The Lions made eight free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. Dickman added a layup along the way, and Indy Tobias scored four points in the last two minutes to help the cause.

The Lions, who made only two free throws in the first half, made 13 of 21 after the break to seal the victory.

“Free throws were good for us in the second half,” said Lewisville head coach Tearia McCrorey. “This is a big rivalry game, and I was very proud of the way we played tonight. Every time Great Falls charged back into the game, we answered.”

Dickman paced the Lions attack with 13 points. She pulled down 10 rebounds. Keels followed with a dozen points and hauled down 11 stray shots. Nia Canty led the Red Devils with a game-high 19 points.

Lewisville is 2-14 overall, while Great Falls is 0-13.

This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 11:03 AM.