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Concord falls short of state hoops title game
Spiders lose lead in 4th quarter, miss potential game-tying shot at buzzer
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Published: March 7, 2009
GREENSBORO — Minutes earlier, a third trip to the state championship game in the last four years had seemed all but certain.
But in the waning seconds of Saturday's NCHSAA 3A Western Regional final, the Concord basketball team somehow found itself behind.
Senior Chance Rucker took an inbounds pass, drove the length of the court into the lane and put up an off-balance shot.
The ball caromed off the glass and Forestview got the rebound and tossed the ball back to halfcourt as the clock hit 0:00.
That was the final sequence in a stunning turn of events that saw the Spiders' nine-point fourth quarter lead evaporate into a heartbreaking 70-68 defeat and an end to their state title hopes.
Instead of making plans for a trip to Raleigh next Saturday, Concord was left to ponder just its second loss in 31 games this season — and how exactly a 30th win got away.
"It's disappointing," Concord head coach Scott Brewer said simply. "We felt like we were better so it's disappointing."
Especially considering the fact the Spiders appeared in complete control with a 14-point lead in the third quarter, and a nine-point edge a couple of minutes into the fourth.
And even after Forestview came all the way back to tie it, Concord appeared to regain the advantage.
After the Jaguars tied the game at 59-59, Rucker took over, converting a pair of driving layups and then splitting the lane for a thunderoous dunk that made it 65-61 with 2:30 to play.
"We were a couple good defensive stops away from the game being over," Brewer said. "I thought we executed a couple quick-hitters, got some layups and Chance took it down the pike and dunked it. The game should've been over."
It wasn't though — and ironically a team that has made a living off turning other teams' turnovers into points, was victimized by that same thing at the worst possible time.
With the four-point lead, Concord got a steal, but gave the ball right back and it led to a 3-pointer from the corner by Forestview's Jack Sumner with two minutes remaining.
Rucker made one free throw with 1:06 to play to make it 66-64, but Sumner's driving layup tied it. Forestview's Dejuan Means then got a steal near halfcourt and took it for a layup with 32 seconds to go.
Concord answered when Jalen Cannady followed up a miss to knot it at 68-68 and Forestview called timeout with 11 seconds left. The Jaguars (25-6) inbounded near half-court and Concord trapped Sumner, but Jacquise Moore was called for a reaching foul.
"We had the sideline and the half-court line in our favor," Brewer said. "We had him right where we wanted him."
Sumner hit both free throws with 8.2 seconds on the clock, leading to the game-ending drive by Rucker, who drew contact and ended up on the Greensboro Coliseum's Special Events Center floor, but no whistle was blown.
"I love the play we did," Brewer said. "I don't care what you draw you wouldn't have got a better shot than we got. Chance with a layup and a trainwreck under the basket with four people on the floor. The same referee that called the touch-foul let it go."
And just like that it was over.
"I thought I got fouled, to be honest," Rucker said. "I was glad we didn't call timeout because they didn't have their defense set. It was kind of like a fast-break and I was able to get to the basket, but I didn't make it."
It certainly didn't look like the Spiders would need any kind of last-second basket when the Spiders made one of their trademark runs in the third quarter.
Leading by three despite cold shooting in the first half, Concord picked up the pace in the third quarter and seized control with a a 19-5 run.
Rucker got it started with two baskets, Kendall Knorr hit a 3-pointer, C.J. Gridine converted a steal into a three-point play and Roger Smith converted back-to-back layups. Knorr then capped the onslaught with another 3-pointer to make it 46-32.
"We definitely didn't have our tempo in the first half, but I thought a little way into the third we had a nice tempo going," Brewer said.
However, instead of the Spiders landing the knockout, Sumner kept Forestview within striking distance by hitting two 3-pointers, the latter just before the buzzer to end the quarter, making it a nine-point game.
"I guess I just got hot and started hitting them," said Sumner, who who finished with a team-high 22 points and had also beaten the buzzer with a 3-pointer to end the first half.
Sumner, who averages just under 13 points a game, made 5 of his 9 attempts from behind the arc and was named the regional MVP.
"Jack stepped up tonight and hit some huge shots for us, and when he hits the 3, it just boosts the energy level for everybody on the team," Forestview head coach Dan Ghent said.
The Jaguars, led by Means, did come out with renewed energy to start the final period, but for the first couple of minutes, the Spiders matched them.
The lead was still nine — at 59-50 — before Forestview switched from its zone to man-to-man pressure and forced Concord into several turnovers. That helped the Jaguars run off nine straight points in a hurry to tie the game and set up the frenetic finish.
"If we could make them shoot while they were guarded, we were fine," Brewer said. "But there were probably 8 or 10 points in that run that were pretty much uncontested or layups. Poor communication on our part and we gave them too many easy baskets at that point."
Means was the biggest beneficiary, scoring 10 of his 19 points in the final period to help the Jaguars score 29 over the final eight minutes.
"I don't think there was more than a few Jaguar fans who thought we were going to be able to win that after being down double digits," Ghent said. "We kind of turned it around back on them. They're a high-pressure team and a lot of times teams that are pressure teams don't always like to be pressed. It worked out well for us. We were very fortunate."
Forestview advanced to face Northern Guilford in next week's state final.
Rucker finished with 22 points to lead Concord — including 17 in the second half. Moore led the way in the first half, totaling 12 of his 19. Both were named to the All-Regional team.
Rucker and Smith are the Spiders' lone seniors.
"I'm proud of my guys," Brewer said. "29-2. The most wins in school history. We won a lot of games. Couldn't be prouder of the effort. The breaks just didn't go our way in the fourth quarter."
FORESTVIEW (70) Holmes 11, Sumner 22, Means 19, Johnson 10, Davis 2, Alexander 6, Smith, Boheler, Bigger.
CONCORD (68) Moore 19, Smith 7, Templeton 2, Rucker 22, Cannady 2, Knorr 9, Gridine 7, Brenk, Wishon.
FORESTVIEW 8 16 17 29 — 70
CONCORD 12 15 23 18 — 68
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