Late 3-pointer lifts Burleson Centennial boys to Class 5A bi-district playoff victory
By Cody Thorn
SOUTHLAKE, Texas - Iverson Moore’s third 3-pointer of the game provided the biggest points of a Class 5A bi-district showdown that saw Burleson Centennial pull out a 50-49 victory against Birdville Tuesday night at Carroll High School.
The Spartans got a 3-pointer from the corner by Moore to give them the lead back with 10.6 seconds left.
A time out followed by the Hawks, before a foul and another time out set up the final play with exactly three seconds remaining. Birdville inbounded the play to Michigan State signee Gehrig Normand, but he was covered up quickly by Moore and Abram Hicks.
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Normand passed the ball to a teammate, but a jumper from near the free-throw line was off the mark and the Spartans survived.
“We knew No. 11 (Normand) would get the ball and we said he can’t beat us,” Centennial coach Trovocie Jackson said. “Anybody else can beat us, you know, we will say 'Congratulations, great job and great game,' but we didn’t want No. 11 to beat us on the jump shot.”
Birdville (17-14) outscored Centennial in the fourth quarter by one, 10-9, and took the lead with 3:04 left on a steal by Niko Lucero, who then dished to Normand for a two-handed dunk that made it 45-44.
It was the first lead for the Hawks since the two-minute mark in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by Normand.
A layup by Clyde Cummings gave Birdville a 49-46 lead with 52 seconds left, but Hicks hit one of three free throws with 43.5 ticks left.
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A costly backcourt violation by Birdville gave the Spartans (27-7) the ball back with 30 seconds left. Jackson called a timeout with 20.3 seconds to go.
Ty’Jae Minter, the Spartans’ point guard, drove inside and that drew double coverage.
“It was a really close game and I’m thankful I could hit that,” said Moore, a junior who had 10 points. “(Coach) drew up a play on the board and said Ty, our point guard, could pass to me in the corner on the drive and I happened to be open and knocked it down. ... I just do what I do.”
That set up the final sequence that allowed Centennial to hold off Birdville, which had full stands of fans that made the short 11-minute drive from North Richland Hills.
That was the seventh and final assist for Minter, who led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points. Along with Moore’s 10, Hicks and Kendall Lawrence had nine each.
Normand had a game-high 19 points.
“He’s going to Michigan State for a reason,” Jackson said. “He’s a heck of a ball player and we tried our best to make things hard. He made tough shots and if we can make tough shots, we slap him on the butt and say, 'Heck of a job.’”
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Cummings and Matthew Zakaria, both 6-foot-6 seniors, had 10 points each for the Hawks.
“It is what a playoff game was supposed to be and our kids fought like crazy,” Jackson said. “Throw out the records out (for the playoffs). They have really good players and are incredibly well coached by Coach (Anthony) Holman.
"He’s done a heck of a job with that group and I know the adversity they’ve faced with all the injuries and just trying to get guys back and trying to find their rhythm. I’m glad they haven’t found it completely.”
Up next is a showdown with Brewer, 47-24 winners against Fort Worth Southwest, also on Tuesday night. The area game and location will be determined later.
