How a hot-shooting fourth propelled Crest basketball past Ashbrook in NCHSAA 3A playoffs
BOILING SPRINGS — Nothing tends to boost a shooter’s self-esteem more than seeing the ball go through the net.
In the latter stages of a third quarter in which plenty went wrong, a high-arcing 3-pointer by Crest basketball’s A.J. Adams seemed like a minor footnote in another tight affair between the Chargers and Big South 3A rival Ashbrook. Little did he know — much less anyone else inside Crest’s Ed Peeler Gymnasium on Friday — was it would ignite a wildfire finally squelching any hope of a Green Wave upset.
A barrage from 3-point range to start the fourth propelled No. 5 Crest to a 70-60 win over 12th-ranked Ashbrook in their NCHSAA 3A West second round matchup.
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Adams’ 3-pointer to end the third was the first of four consecutive possessions in which the Chargers hit shots from beyond the arc. The flurry was part of a 16-2 run which saw Crest go from down four points to up 10 in short order.
“We made a couple shots; we’re the type of team where if we get a couple to fall, we get excited,” said Crest basketball coach Brad LeVine. “It was a pretty even game for the most part. We got sloppy for a stretch in the third, but were able to cut it to four before (Adams) nails the 3-pointer at the buzzer. You take that possession to end the third, then we come out and hit four 3-pointers on consecutive trips, it really helped us build a lead.”
One who regularly requests of his team to “share the sugar,” Adams wasn’t tasked with doing the heavy lifting alone. Held in check for much of the first half, sophomore D’Various Surratt caught fire with 14 of his 19 points coming in the game’s final 16 minutes. His 3-pointer to start the fourth was followed by shots courtesy of classmates Lyrik Pettis and King Rhodes, helping their team’s lead balloon.
“It's a win-or-go-home situation; you have to play big. You have to, that’s all there is to it,” Surratt said. “First half, I didn’t really play. My team held it together, I got in there and gave them energy, and we feed off that energy.”
Friday’s win was Crest’s third this season over Ashbrook. As had been the case in previous matchups, the Green Wave faded late, outscored 20-9 by Crest in the fourth.
“It was an evenly matched ball game through three quarters and then we make a shot or two in the fourth, and all of a sudden it’s ‘Ding, ding!,’ we’re in a ball game,” LeVine said. “Next thing they knew, they were down five points, six points and couldn’t get the ball away from us.”
Surratt led all scorers with 19 points. Adams, Rhodes and Pettis followed with 15, 14 and 10, respectively. As for Ashbrook, Isaac Byers Jr. had a team-high 18 points, with Jamarion Patton scoring 15 and Kenneth Greene contributing 14 points.
Next up for fifth-seeded Crest is a matchup Tuesday night with No. 4 Southern Guilford, which advanced courtesy of a 71-56 win over Jay M. Robinson. A start time has yet to be announced.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: NCHSAA basketball: Crest basketball defeats Ashbrook in 3A playoffs
