Denham Springs clung to a slim two-point lead against Central as the clock ticked to less than a minute in overtime on Friday.
The Yellow Jackets inbounded the ball at halfcourt and looked for a score to give them breathing room. Devin Houston stood near halfcourt, then hurled the ball into the paint to Jeremy Williams.
The junior guard took one dribble, then threw up a hook shot through contact. The shot fell through the bottom of the net, and he connected with the free throw to give his team a five-point cushion with just 50 seconds left.
Denham Springs (18-5) held on to take Central down 62-55 at Denham Springs High School. Williams led the Yellow Jackets in scoring with 15 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“It wasn’t even on my mind,” Williams said on his clutch three-point play. “I just did it. My team got me the ball. They trusted me. That three-point play turned me up, turned the crowd up.”
He said he felt that was the turning point in the game, after the Yellow Jackets iced the game away at the free-throw line.
A back-and-forth first half ended with Denham Springs holding a 23-22 lead. Central’s Jace Conrad buried a 3-pointer to open the second half.
Both sides continued to find ways to score in a third quarter that involved seven lead changes and three ties. The Yellow Jackets held a 36-32 lead, with four free throws to close out the third.
“It just kept feeling like we were trying to climb out of a hole,” Denham Springs coach Kevin Cabarello said, “but I’d look up, and we’d be up one. We’d be up two.”
He knew his team remained in it throughout and didn’t need to panic.
Neither team managed to gain an edge in the fourth until late. Da’Sean Golmond dished an assist to Williams, who finished a layup to give his team a 44-41 lead.
Conrad breezed past one defender and drew contact on a layup to tie the game 44-44.
The two sides then traded shots at the charity stripe, and Denham Springs held a 48-46 lead. With less than 30 seconds left, Central’s Jalen Thomas euro-stepped toward the cup and scored a layup to tie.
Denham Springs’ Hayden Ray had a layup attempt just before the buzzer but missed, sending the game to overtime.
The Yellow Jackets opened the overtime period on a 4-0 run. Ray scored six points. He blocked a dunk attempt that led to a layup that closed out the run in overtime.
"A dunk could change the whole momentum of the game if I didn't go get it," Ray said. "I knew I had to."
He also connected with Golmond on an alley-oop dunk to make it 54-51 later in the period.
Central (14-3) knocked down two 3-pointers in overtime to keep it close, but Williams’ 3-point play helped give his side separation en route to a win.
“They never quit,” Cabarello said. “Before the game, I say, ‘give me everything you’ve got for 32 minutes, and if it isn’t enough, it’s not enough.’ Tonight, it was enough.”
