Boys basketball: Vero Beach knocks down free throws late to hold off Martin County
VERO BEACH — The hard work at the foul line for Vero Beach’s Jeremiah Sanders paid off Friday night in a clutch fourth quarter.
The sophomore guard scored eight of his 10 points in the final frame, including a 6-for-7 showing at the stripe, as the Fighting Indians fought off a strong push from Martin County and beat the Tigers 61-53 at John B. Witt Gym.
With Vero Beach (4-3) holding a 45-34 lead after three quarters, the hosts had to hang on against the Tigers (3-6), who rallied to get the game to 50-49 on a layup by Brandon Brazell with 2:50 left.
But after securing a 3-point play earlier in the fourth, Sanders made all but one of his six freebies inside the last 1:58 as the Indians beat their rivals two counties to the south.
“When I saw the opportunities, I just took them and got to the line and made my free throws,” Sanders said. “I’ve been working on that. I didn’t feel like losing to Martin County and (have) people hating on Vero.”
Indians coach Shane Whitsett said his young backcourt player has been putting in the work, and the results are paying off.
“He’s actually been struggling from the line this year, but he stepped up to the plate. We’ve been working (at the line),” Whitsett said of Sanders, who had four assists and four rebounds.
Fellow sophomore Andre Ferguson posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards. Jayden Peart and Jaylen Shelly each had 13 points as the Indians improved to 3-0 at home.
Martin County watched an incredible 1-2 punch consisting of sophomores Brazell and Ari Smith, who combined to net all of the squad’s 32 second-half points.
Brazell finished with a game-high 19 points and eight rebounds, while Smith notched 17 points and four assists.
After going ahead 16-14 after eight minutes of play, the home side outscored the Tigers 15-7 in a tight second quarter, with Martin County coach John Leon’s group failing to hit a basket until Brazell’s layup at 4:03 to make it 25-16.
Meanwhile, the Indians turned three steals into the period’s first three buckets on breakaways.
“We preach defense,” Whitsett said. “The first 45 minutes to an hour of practice is defense. I believe that defense wins championships and is hard work. They sent a lot of pressure at us early, and we were struggling with it. We had seven turnovers in the first half.”
In equally impressing outings, Brazell and Smith cut the 11-point deficit to one in the fourth, and momentum appeared to be leaving the red-and-white and headed in the direction of the blue-and-gold.
Martin County has lost five of its past six games and fell to 2-3 on the road, but Leon is impressed with his team’s growth and maturation.
“This year has been full of bouncebacks,” Leon said. “We’re a young group, and my best players are tenth-graders. We’re learning. We’re County basketball, and we’re expected to win, but we’re taking some lumps now. But I’m seeing positive increases every day. We’re learning on the fly.
“It is hard to lean on two sophomores to lead you, but that’s what we’re doing this year. They’re learning how to lead, and I’m so proud of those guys. Believe it or not, us being 3-6, I’m happy. I’m excited with a bunch of young guys who are improving every game.
“People see 3-6, but I see a monster coming.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vero Beach basketball knocks down free throws to beat Martin County
