HAMLET – Hamlet’s boys’ basketball team most likely punched a ticket to the playoffs with a win over Cordova on Monday, but Keith Parson’s Red Rams received all they could handle from the Cavaliers.
The visitors fought valiantly for two and-a-half quarters, but Hamlet managed to put together two long runs in the second and third quarters to take control of the game en route to a 44-36 victory.
Cordova, who only used five players in the entire game, used speed and ball movement to keep the Red Rams defense off-balance in the opening quarter. Frazion Steele hit one-of-two from the free throw line for the Cavs to tie the game at 4-all with 2:07 in the first.
After each team came up empty on their next possessions, Jamarion Wall blocked a Red Ram attempt with just seconds left. The ball wound up in the hands of Jamison Jones who connected on a mid-court Hail Mary at the buzzer to send the Cavs into the second period with a 7-4 advantage.
A free throw from Hamlet’s Xavier Wall just seconds into the second quarter cut the Cavs lead to two, but Cordova answered with back-to-back buckets. A long two-ball from Christopher Grey followed by an offensive put back from Steele that gave the Cavs their largest lead of the game at 11-5 with exactly 4:00 left in the second quarter.
The two teams traded baskets until the 2:00 mark keeping Cordova’s six-point advantage intact. That’s when Hamlet caught fire. The Red Rams closed out the first half’s final 1:40 with an 8-0 run ending in a go-ahead floater by Paul McNeil sending the Red Rams into the break with a 17-15 advantage.
Another McNeil basket in the opening seconds of the third quarter extended the Hamlet run to 10 points, but the Cavs were not done yet. Jamarion Wall delivered an impressive behind-the-back bounce pass to Steele in the paint who laid it up and in to reduce the Cordova deficit to two.
Seconds later, Steele bullied his way into the paint, put the ball up, and drew a foul. His shot circled the hoop before falling through the net setting up the old-fashioned three-point play. Steele’s ensuing free throw was true, giving the lead back to the Cavs at 20-19.
From there, another Hamlet run was enough to put this one out of reach. McNeil, JV Drake, CC Wall, and Xavier Wall each contributed to a 11-2 Red Ram run in the quarter’s final 3:30 giving Hamlet a 30-22 lead heading into the final quarter.
The eight point advantage proved to be the difference maker as the fourth quarter ended in a 14-14 stalemate.
Xavier Wall was the leading scorer for Hamlet with 13, McNeil also reached double digits with 12, CC Wall netted seven, Drake and David McNair scored four apiece, Rondrell Durante and Tony McInnis each added two.
Grey and Steele led Cordova with 10 apiece, and Jones and Jamison Wall each scored eight.
With the win, the Red Rams improve to 5-3 and will close out the season at Ellerbe on Thursday. Ellerbe dropped to 3-5 and will end the regular season at West Hoke on Thursday.
