Strawberry Crest was 5-3 entering Friday’s game where they hosted the Armwood Hawks.
Armwood got the ball on tip-off and attacked the paint, but Hunter Hall responded with a floater in the paint. Armwood turned it over on the next possession, and Crest scored back-to-back layups by Cameron Crowe. Armwood slowed the tempo down as they went to the free throw line, going 2-2 from the line. Crowe hit a 3, the first of the game for either team. Armwood got back to the free throw line and went 1-2. Both teams turned it over on their next possession, but Crest’s Maximus Von Ancken went 1-2 from the line. Armwood responded with their first 3 of the game, followed by back-to-back turnovers from each side. Tre Jones found Von Ancken wide open for a transition layup. Armwood had back-to-back turnovers with just under 3 minutes left in the quarter. A foul was called on Armwood, which had Crest inbound it. A foul was called on Crest, giving Armwood the ball. Armwood got to the free throw line as they were in the bonus and they went 2-2 from that line. Christian Lattimore checked in and made an instant impact, splashing the 3 for the Chargers. Armwood responded with a layup before the quarter ended. Chargers were up 15-12.
The second quarter started with Crest missing a 3, getting the offensive rebound, but change of possession went to Armwood. Crowe got the steal and the transition layup for the Chargers. Crest stole it again, and Crowe scored once again in transition. Von Ancken then got an offensive rebound for Crest, and after a 6-0 run, Armwood was forced to call a timeout with 6:04 left in the half. After the timeout, Crest drew the foul after the steal and was forced to inbound it. Lattimore then hit a 3. Armwood got to the free throw line with 5 minutes left in the half, going 1-2 from the line. Hunter Hall hit a 3 for the Chargers. After the Armwood turnover, Jayson Lewis went 1-2 from the line. Jayson Lewis had a nice floater in the paint. After an Armwood miss, Lattimore went 3-3 from the line. Armwood got some momentum back with a nice block from their hitman followed by him getting an and one after his own block. After a Crest miss, Armwood hit a 3. Von Ancken was then left open in transition for a floater. Gramon Fairley had a nice block for Crest, and it resulted in Crowe going 1-2 from the line.
The second half started with the Chargers getting the ball first, and they got blocked twice on their first possession. Armwood started slow with a turnover. Both teams missed their next shots, but Armwood got on the board first with a mid-range shot. Armwood then hit a 3 and after a 5-0 run, Crest called a timeout with 6:07 left in the third. After a missed Crest shot after the timeout, Armwood pushed the pace with a transition layup. Crowe got the first basket of the quarter for Crest with a tough layup. Armwood then got back-to-back layups, making it a 2-point game with 3:22 left in the third. Armwood went 2-2 from the line and tied the game. Lewis went to the free throw line for the Chargers and regained the lead after going 2-2. Armwood regained the lead with a 3, followed by a Crest turnover. Both teams got transition layups, and a timeout was called with 1:21 left in the third with Armwood up 43-42. Armwood got a layup after the timeout, and Hunter Hall responded with a floater. Armwood scored again before the buzzer and ended the third with their first lead of the game, up 47-44.
Armwood started the 4th with a nice post move and was rewarded with a bucket. Cameron Crowe got an offensive rebound and scored for the Chargers early in the quarter. Tre Jones then got an and-one for the Chargers and didn’t make the free throw. Crest stole it and Lewis made a nice contested floater. Armwood kept attacking the paint in the 4th with back-to-back layups. Armwood tied it up with a nice layup. Armwood called a timeout due to an injury, and they were up 61-57 at this point with 2:54 in the game. After the timeout, Armwood turned it over and Jones made a nice mid-range for the Chargers. Then an offensive foul put Jones at the line for the Chargers and tied it up with two minutes left. Armwood traveled on the next possession, but Crest failed to take the lead. Both teams turned it over on the next possessions, but Armwood took the lead with 45.9 seconds left. Von Ancken tied it up for the Chargers on a floater and a timeout was called with 32.3 left in the game. Armwood missed, and Crowe turned it up court and gained the lead! Armwood turn the ball over with 6 seconds left in the game. Crest inbounded the ball and Lewis was fouled, and made 1 free throw. With 1.9 seconds left, Armwood needed a 3 off the inbound to tie it. Armwood inbounded and missed and the Chargers won 66-63.
