Every game that Marlboro County High has played since the basketball season restarted in late January had come down to the wire. Wednesday night was no exception as the Bulldogs roared from behind to take a 60-59 victory over Bishop England High School in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA state tournament.
The Bulldogs trailed 58-50 after a dunk by a Bishop England player with 2:59 left in the game. Until that point, the Bishops had held the Bulldogs’ standouts Dre Scott and Devonta Oliver in check. However, the senior pair was not to be denied, scoring the team’s final 10 points to lead the comeback.
Oliver got the rally started with a three-pointer, then cut the lead to three on a drive to the basket.
The Bishops hit one of two free throws to make the score 59-55 with 1:14 left. Scott took over from there.
The Region 6-AAA player of the year pulled the Bulldogs to within a point with a 3-point bomb 12 seconds later. Marlboro forced a turnover and after a long shot missed, Scott got the ball under the basket and scored to give the Bulldogs their first lead since late in the first half.
Nothing has come easily for these Bulldogs and running the last 14 seconds off the clock was no exception. After forcing another turnover, Marlboro missed a free throw with 5.4 seconds left and, after rebounding the miss, were called for a violation on another free throw attempt with 3.3 left.
The Bishops would manage to get a shot from star center Daniel Brooks but he missed badly at the buzzer.
Marlboro County struggled early and trailed by as many as seven points in the first quarter. They were able to rally and tie the game at 20 early in the second quarter on a three- pointer by Kamare Alford. Shawn Lucas gave the Bulldogs the lead with a deep shot midway through the quarter.
The Bulldogs were able to build the lead to six, only to have the Bishops storm back to tie the game at the half.
The Bulldogs were ice cold in the third quarter, falling behind by as many as nine points. Alford cut the deficit to seven with a pair of free throws just before the quarter expired.
The teams exchanged baskets until Marlboro County put together the dramatic final 10-1 run.
Scott finished with 15 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter. Lucas had 12 and Alford 10. Keon Adams added 9 points, all on three-pointers in the second quarter. Oliver scored 5, Tyler Thomas 3, Jalen Bethea 2, Caleb Brown 2 and Prince Johnson 1.
The victory puts the Bulldogs in the state semifinals (aka Lower State Finals) for the first time since 2015, when they lost a heartbreaker to Midland Valley. They will play Orangeburg-Wilkinson at a neutral site, Camden High School, Saturday evening at 6 p.m. Check our website, www.heraldadvocate.com, for details.
First round victory
Marlboro County reached the second round of the state tournament in a fashion that has been their’s since the season restarted in late January. They pulled out a victory that was closer than it ever should have been.
For three quarters Saturday night, the Bulldogs dominated Brookland – Cayce, only to have to hang on in the final minute for a 52-50 victory.
“We learned a lot from that game, the biggest lesson was staying focused,” said head coach LaTroy Brace. “Brookland Cayce kept fighting and stayed in our rear view for the majority of the game. Then it came down to the last 10 seconds. We were up 10 points with 10 seconds left and almost lost.”
With 1:05 left to play, the Bulldogs held a 49-39 edge and looked to be cruising into the second round.
However, a technical foul called on a Marlboro player started a chain of events that nearly ended in disaster for the Bulldogs.
The Bearcats hit the two technical shots, then swished a three-pointer. After exchanging baskets, a steal of a Marlboro pass resulted in another Brookland – Cayce three pointer, cutting the lead to 51-50.
Marlboro’s Dre Scott was fouled with .8 seconds to play. He made one of two free throws, giving the visitors only time for a desperation heave at the basket. After the miss, the Bulldog celebration was muted as they realized how close they came to falling.
“There was confusion with the scoring and BC was awarded a three-pointer that they did not make. Things like that we can’t control, the refs have the final say so. So we have to do a better job not getting in that position,” said Brace.
The Bulldogs had opened the game by jumping out to a double-digit lead. Senior Shawn Lucas ended the first quarter by nailing a three-pointer, then scoring on a layup to put the Bulldogs up 13-2.
The Bearcats shifted to a 3-2 zone defense in the second quarter and Marlboro struggled to find an answer, scoring just 8 points in the period. Marlboro County led 21-17 at intermission.
The Bulldogs regrouped in the third quarter and rebuilt their lead by turning up the defensive pressure and scoring off turnovers.
Scott started the fourth quarter with back-to-back layups that put the Bulldogs up 42-28. However, the Bearcats wouldn’t concede and continued to chip into the lead until the final minute drama.
Devonta Oliver led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Scott had 14 and Lucas 10. Kamare Alford added 6, Keon Adams 4 and Jalen Bethea had 2.
The win set up a state quarterfinal road trip to Bishop England High School of Daniel Island. The Bishops defeated Waccamaw High, 54-51 Saturday night.