Mitchell Thompson’s 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left in overtime lifted Floyd County to a 58-55 win over Carroll County on Thursday in Floyd.
Carroll County (1-7, 0-2 Three Rivers District) led by as many as eight points twice in the fourth quarter and held a 45-38 advantage with 1:53 left in regulation. The Cavaliers had several chances to put the game away, but just about anything that could go wrong late did. Carroll made just 9 of 20 free throws in the fourth and missed the front end of a pair of one-and-ones down the stretch. For the game, the Cavs were just over 50 percent from the charity stripe (23-of-42).
Carroll held the ball with a lead most of the fourth quarter and Floyd began fouling with about six minutes to go. Still, the Cavs held a seven-point cushion until Cayden Sutphin’s 3-pointer with 1:38 to play cut it to 45-41.
Adam Horton made 3-of-4 free throws over Carroll’s next three possessions to make it 48-43 with 51.9 seconds remaining. The Cavs made just 1-of-6 free throw attempts over the final minute, however, and Sutphin’s tip-in made it a two-point game at 49-47 with 13.2 seconds left. After two more missed Carroll free throws, Sutphin leaned past a Carroll defender in the lane and heaved a shot from about 15 feet out at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Horton scored in the paint and made a pair of free throws to start OT, again giving the Cavs momentum and a 53-50 lead with 2:48 to play. Carroll turned the ball over on the next two possessions, however, and Floyd’s Cameron Harris scored on a putback and Sutphin hit a jumper with 1:27 to play to put the Buffaloes in front 54-53.
Horton responded with a pair of free throws with 1:04 remaining to put the Cavs back in the lead at 55-54, but Carroll would not score again. Sutphin made 1-of-2 free throws to tie it with 49.8 ticks left. After a Cavalier turnover with about 25 seconds left, Floyd held for the last shot. Carroll got a hand in Thompson’s face on a 3-pointer from the corner, but the high-arching shot found its way into the hoop with 2.8 seconds left. Carroll threw away the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, allowing Floyd to secure the improbable comeback victory.
“Overwhelmingly frustrated and disappointed is probably putting it mildly,” Carroll County head coach Tee Jackson said. “It was a really tough one to take.”
The Floyd comeback ruined a huge night by Carroll senior Adam Horton, who scored a game-high 35 points and threw down three thunderous dunks in the loss. Early on it seemed as if neither team would score. Both teams struggled mightily and the game was scoreless until Sutphin broke the drought with 5:15 left in the first quarter. Floyd would go up 6-0 as the Cavaliers missed its first eight shots from the floor and 11 of its first 12.
Jackson Hull’s bucket in the paint with 3:10 left in the opening quarter finally got Carroll on the board. Ryan Phillips later knocked down a jumper and two free throws and Weston Burcham scored inside to help the Cavs tie the game at 8-all after one quarter.
Horton, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, tallied eight points in the second, four of them coming on a pair of dunks. A Phillips free throw put Carroll in front 23-17 before Sutphin scored the last five points of the half to make it a one-point contest. Horton’s layup with 30 seconds left in the third gave the Cavs a 36-34 edge heading into the final period.
Carroll opened the fourth on a 6-0 run with Horton making two free throws 12 seconds into the period, then picking off a Floyd pass and hammering it home for another dunk. Luke Johnson’s basket with 6:10 left increased the advantage to 42-34. From that point forward, the Cavs decided to hold the ball. They missed the front end of one-and-ones on back-to-back possessions but still led by eight with 2:14 left before Floyd rallied.
Cayden Sutphin scored 25 points to lead the Buffaloes and Harris finished with 11 points. Horton was the only Cavalier to reach double figures with 35 points. Phillips scored eight for Carroll and nobody else scored more than three points.
Carroll 8 15 13 13 6 – 55
Floyd 8 14 12 15 9 – 58
Carroll County – Herman 1 0-1 2, Motley 0 1-2 1, Johnson 1 1-5 3, Hull 1 1-4 3, Horton 10 15-22 35, Burcham 1 0-0 2, Marshall 0 1-2 1, Phillips 2 4-6 8. 3-pointers – none.
Floyd County – Sutphin 8 6-8 25, Thompson 3 0-3 9, Neukirch 0 0-1 0, Metz 0 0-2 0, Bolt 2 0-2 4, T. Harris 0 2-2 2, Nichols 0 1-2 1, C. Harris 5 1-2 11, Gallimore 3 0-6 6. 3-pointers – Sutphin 3, Thompson 3.
Glenvar 58, Carroll Co. 52
Glenvar outscored Carroll County 17-7 in the fourth quarter Jan. 2 to rally for a 58-52 Three Rivers District in Roanoke.
Carroll County (1-6, 0-1 Three Rivers District) led 45-41 heading into the fourth quarter before Glenvar (4-4, 1-0 Three Rivers District) charged back for the victory. Noah Lovelave and Mason Holiday each scored 12 points to lead the Highlanders.
Adam Horton scored a game-high 27 points to lead the Cavaliers. Teammate Weston Burcham scored 11 points for Carroll and Ian Herman chipped in eight points.
Carroll 11 16 18 7 — 52
Glenvar 7 23 11 17 — 58
Carroll County – Horton 27, Burcham 11, Herman 8, Johnson 4, Hull 2. 3-pointers – Horton 2, Herman 2.
Glenvar – Holiday 12, Lovelace 12, Williams 9, Duncan 9, Veverka 8, Gerbers 6, Snider 2. 3-pointers – Veverka 2, Williams 1.
Allen Worrell can be reached at (276) 779-4062 or on Twitter@AWorrellTCN
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