Wicksburg gets wild win over Houston County

COLUMBIA  - Wicksburg’s Austin Sellers didn’t feel like he played very well in Friday’s Class 2A sub-regional game against Houston County.

But the 5-foot-9 junior guard provided the two biggest points, giving the Panthers their only lead of the night when it counted most – at the end of the game.

Sellers picked up a loose ball near halfcourt and drove in a for a game-winning layup with 4.2 seconds left, giving the Panthers a dramatic 50-48 win over the Lions before a packed and vocal crowd at the Houston County gym.

“I had a bad game, but I guess I pulled through,” said Sellers, normally one of Wicksburg’s top scorers, but who had only six points Friday. “I have to thank my teammates. Those guys were great.”

With the win, Wicksburg (25-6) advanced to a regional tournament for the first time in five years. The Panthers play Red Level (22-10) Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. at the University of South Alabama in Mobile.

Houston County ended its season at 23-7.

Sellers’ game-winning basket capped a frantic finish following Denny Williams’ 1-of-2 free throws for Houston County with 23.6 seconds left to put the Lions up 48-45.

The Panthers’ Trey McNeal scored on a driving layup and was fouled with 10.7 seconds left then hit the free throw to tie it.

The Lions inbounded the ball to Williams, who got around a defender then lost his balance near halfcourt and lost the basketball in the process. Sellers, who was off to Williams’ left, picked up the loose basketball and drove straight to the hoop for his key basket.

“He lost the ball and I just took it,” Sellers said. “I saw an opening and went for it.”

Houston County inbounded the ball and the horn sounded, appearing to end the game. However, the referee near the Houston County bench said Lions’ head coach Emanuel Brown called timeout before the horn and set the clock back to 1.0 second.

After an ensuing timeout by Wicksburg, the Lions inbounded on the side near the scorer’s table. Ernest Tyson, who had a game-high 22 points, including three 3-pointers, raced from the backcourt past a defender, caught the inbound pass, turned and launched a three to try and win it, but it bounced off the rim.

Wicksburg, which trailed by nine at the onset of the game and by 10 in the third quarter, overcame a four-point deficit in the final 30 seconds to win it.

“They just don’t quit,” Wicksburg head coach Scott Whitaker said. “They stay after it. They refuse to lay down and tonight was a perfect example of it.”

Houston County’s Brown felt Williams was tripped on the eventual decisive play, but said it didn’t lose the game for his team.

“We had a play called and it looked like it was going pretty good,” Brown said. “Denny got tripped and he lost the ball. It wasn’t his fault. We thought it was a foul, but the officials didn’t call it, so it is not a foul. We are not making excuses.

“Wicksburg played hard and played a good game, but I felt we played good enough to win. The little things got us – free throws and rebounding. We were 6-of-14 at the free throw in the fourth quarter and we also gave up two three-point plays down in the last minute.

“I felt if we could have gotten one stop, we would have won the game. We never could finish it.”

The five Panther starters scored all 50 points with Diquan Fenn leading the way with 17 points, most of it coming on four 3-pointers in the first half. McNeal, who also hit a shot falling down with 26 seconds left to cut the deficit to two, had 13 and Cam Wiehe had nine.

Tyson’s 22 led Houston County. Bobby Peterman and Darrell Payne had eight points each.

While Sellers’ play was the game-winner, McNeal’s three-point play on a reverse spin move on the left side was perhaps more critical.

“I was trying to get it out of my hands to tell you the truth, but everybody was being overplayed and they were overplaying me, so I just reversed back for the layup,” McNeal said.

Still, the Panthers trailed by a point with 10.7 seconds, making the free throw critical.

“I missed my first two (of the game) and I just told myself, ‘To take my time, you knock them down all the time, just follow through, finish the shot and pray,’” McNeal recalled.

The junior hit the free throw to tie it, finishing off Wicksburg’s 5-of-5 fourth-quarter shooting at the line after going 3-of-12 in the first three quarters.

“It was a tough free throw – an and-one free throw,” Whitaker said. “I was so happy for Trey. He worked so hard all game, but couldn’t get the ball in the basket consistently then all of sudden he comes up with that big play and knocks down that free throw. You can’t describe that as a big enough play.”

Sellers then followed it up with his alert play in picking up the loose ball and scoring the go-ahead basket.

Both McNeal and Whitaker felt Sellers would deliver upon seeing him start his drive to the basket.

“I knew Austin would score,” McNeal said. “Austin finishes great.”

“When Austin got that ball, I knew he would score,” Whitaker said. “Once he got his body leaning forward, I felt it was going in.”

It appeared for a second that Wicksburg had won the game as the horn sounded and players and fans celebrated, but it was premature as the official ruled Houston County had called timeout, giving the Lions a last-second chance.

“Heart attack,” McNeal said, when asked how he felt about time being restored. “It scared me because we knew they would go to Ernest. He is a really good player. He can make it (a 3-point shot).”

The Lions did go to Tyson, but his long 3-point shot was off the mark and Wicksburg could officially celebrate.