Memphis Central stuns Lausanne at the buzzer
Memphis Central head coach John Anderson Sr. told his players to get out of the way with senior point guard Jhalen Hayes staring down the game clock with the ball in his hands at the top of the key. Senior…
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Continue ReadingMemphis Central head coach John Anderson Sr. told his players to get out of the way with senior point guard Jhalen Hayes staring down the game clock with the ball in his hands at the top of the key.
Senior guard Cameron Sims was guarding him in a one-on-one situation with the game tied 73-all. Hayes allowed the clock to run down to six seconds before he made his move. The home crowd started counting down as the game clock was winding down. Then, Hayes changed hands, went from his right hand to his left, before throwing up a desperation 3 that went in off the backboard as the buzzer sounded, defeating Lausanne (4-1), 76-73.
The win gives the Warriors (2-3) confidence that they can hang with good teams.
After the shot fell, Hayes celebrated with his teammates and the coaching staff, but it had appeared time was still left on the clock. Lynx head coach Marvis Davis called a timeout right after Hayes’ heroic 3-pointer, but the referees were already off the court.
The game was called, even though Davis and his staff were arguing there was still time left in the game.
“It was about two seconds left, I called timeout. The refs ran out with two seconds left,” Davis said. “They never watched the clock. They never signaled anything to me. He shot the ball with two seconds left. I called timeout. It was well over two seconds; it was about 2.3. They ran out.
“They didn’t even look at the clock.”
Hayes led Central in scoring with 20 points. Freshman forward Tyler Byrd added 19.
The Warriors led 43-36 in the second half after freshman guard Cartier Beverly made 1 of 2 foul shots. Lausanne used an 8-0 run to go into halftime up 44-43. The Lynx recorded nine turnovers in the first quarter alone, allowing the Warriors to stay in the game. Lausanne played well in the final three minutes of the second quarter to take the lead.
The Lynx were more aggressive and smart on both ends of the court during their 8-0 run.
Lausanne came out of halftime and quickly took a 54-43 lead and was on the verge of taking complete control of the game, but foul trouble and more turnovers hurt the Lynx’s chances of finishing off Central. The Warriors got back into the game by getting to the free throw line.
Central converted on 7 of 10 shots in the third quarter to cut its deficit down to 62-59 heading into the fourth. The Warriors continued to shoot well from the foul line in the final quarter, making 5 of 6 shots. Central took a 73-71 lead off a wide open 3 from freshman guard Jason Coleman.
Jalen Montgomery tied the game 73-all, setting the stage for Hayes’ last big shot of the night.
“We wanted him to take the shot, no doubt,” Anderson said.
Sims led Lausanne with 19 points. Montgomery added 15. Sophomore combo guard Alden Applewhite finished with only nine and fouled out in the fourth, along with senior combo guard Sky Forest. The Lynx had five guys in foul trouble. Dylan Andrews, Dylan Woods, and Montgomery each had four fouls.
3 takeaways
- Lausanne shot over 50 percent from the field, but finished the game with 26 turnovers.
- Memphis Central was the aggressor from the start of the game, attacking the rim and getting the Lynx’s best players in foul trouble early.
- Lausanne has to play at Whitehaven Thursday night. If the Lynx want to beat the Tigers, they will have to limit the turnovers, stay out of foul trouble, and get off to a better start than they did against the Warriors.