Lancaster boys nose past Wren
Lewis Johnson was big - literally and figuratively - for the Lancaster Bruins in the first round of the 3A basketball playoffs Tuesday night.
The 6-foot-4 senior forward scored the first six points of the game for the Bruins and led them with 19, including 4-of-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter, as Lancaster pulled out a back-and-forth 61-56 win over the Wren Hurricanes. The Bruins (13-8) will travel to Columbia Friday night to take on perennial state title contender A.C. Flora (22-2) in the second round.
Qua McCarter had 16 for the Bruins and hit several big shots. Bruins coach Ricardo Priester said he would expect nothing less from his 12th graders.
“That's what you expect from a senior,” he said. “We tell our guys, and we're very candid with them, ‘look, this could be your last game.’ That's what we expect seniors to do. He's (Johnson) been a four-year guy. We expect our guys to step up in the moment and that's what he did.”
The game was tied at 48 with five minutes to play when the Bruins ran off seven straight from that point. Johnson and McCarter each had six in the fourth period. Johnson's scoring was evenly distributed as he had six in each of the first, third, and fourth quarters.
McCarter hit three free throws in the second quarter after being fouled shooting a three-pointer, and that made it 25-19 Lancaster with about three minutes until the half. But the Hurricanes then closed the first half on a 13-2 run, with eight coming from leading scorer Cameron Willis, to take a 32-27 lead into the break. Willis had ten of his game-high 20 in the second period.
Turning point
The Bruins scored seven straight to break a 48-all tie. Johnson started it with two free throws, Desmond Ricks hit one, Tee Tinsley had a bucket, and so did Nehemiah McGriff to give Lancaster control. McGriff had six of his 15 in the fourth, including a corner three that gave the Bruins their first fourth quarter lead at 48-46 with 5 minutes, 46 seconds left.
Critical
Lancaster was 18-of-27 from the free throw line and Wren was only 6-of-12. After both teams were only whistled for five fouls in the first half, the Hurricanes were whistled for twice as many as the Bruins in the second, 14 to 7. Johnson was too big and strong for Wren to handle down low, and they sent him to the line where he was 9-of-12.
Star contributors
Johnson led Lancaster with 19 and McCarter had 16, including eight in the second period. McGriff had 15 points for the Bruins. Cameron Willis led all scorers with 20 for the Hurricanes, while Issac Ford and Trey McGowens had a dozen each. Ford had seven in the third quarter.
Overheard
"We just wanted to finish," Priester said of the 7-0 run. "We wanted to be sound fundamentally and finish strong."
"Tough," Priester said of McCarter. "He's the first one there, last one to leave. He's a leader. He plays with his heart at both ends of the floor. Once again, that's a senior showing leadership in the moment. We expect that."
On deck
Lancaster travels to A.C. Flora Friday night. Wren finishes its season with a 13-12 record.
Box score
Lancaster 61 Wren 56
LHS;14;13;13;21; - 61
WHS;14;18;11;13; - 56
Individual scoring: LHS - Lewis Johnson 19, Qua McCarter 16, Nehemiah McGriff 15, Jai Stevenson 6, Kamarkio Cloud 2, Tee Tinsley 2, Desmond Ricks 1. WHS - Cameron Willis 20, Issac Ford 12, Trey McGowens 12, John Kanan 7, Camden Tate 4, OJ Hurst 1.
Three-point shooting: LHS - 5 (Stevenson 2, McCarter 2, McGriff). WHS - 4 (Ford 2, McGowens, Tate).
Team fouls: LHS - 12; WHS - 19. Technicals: Wren (bench).
Records - Lancaster 13-8, Wren 13-12.
This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 11:55 PM with the headline "Lancaster boys nose past Wren."