South Carolina basketball squad wins 5-on-3 overtime game following bench-clearing brawl
A bench-clearing brawl ultimately left the Gaffney (S.C.) High boys' basketball team with just three players for overtime, but the Indians somehow prevailed by two.
Of course, the presence of L.J. Peak didn't hurt. Finishing the game alongside just two teammates, the Georgetown commit scored a game-high 37 points, including the game-winner with 6.1 seconds left in OT of Gaffney's 83-81 victory against rival Boiling Springs, according to the Spartanburg Herald-Journal (h/t USA TODAY).
Gaffney played the entire second half with only four players after a staring match during a jump ball devolved into a bench-clearing mess in the second quarter that ended with Boiling Springs principal Chuck Gordon threatening to have any spectators that joined the fracas arrested, the game story said. Both team's entire benches and a Gaffney starter were all ejected from the game with 5:14 still remaining in the opening half.
On the back of Peak and Shaq Davidson (23 points), Gaffney reportedly battled back from a 46-31 halftime deficit, eventually taking a 72-70 lead with 1.4 seconds remaining, when Indians teammate Hyleck Foster fouled out and Boiling Springs star Daniel Thompson knocked down the free throws to force a 5-on-3 overtime. Somehow, Peak sealed the victory with a layup in the final seconds and a deflection of Boiling Springs' final attempt.
“I’ve never seen five on three,” Gaffney coach Mark Huff told the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. “We finished a game at Carson-Newman one time with five on four, but nothing like this. I don’t even know what to say. It’s a credit to our kids for not giving up, for battling. Gaffney kids are just special.”
As USA TODAY noted, the official Gaffney Athletics Twitter feed detailed the entire night -- from the brawl that forced a half-hour delay to the remarkable 5-on-3 finish -- complete with some proper trolling of the Boiling Springs folks after the game.
Wait....that says Gaffney won?? But all the Boiling Springs fans kept pointing at the scoreboard all night... pic.twitter.com/wwK0RiYfaQ
— Gaffney Athletics (@GaffneySports1) January 25, 2014
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