Next? His time is now: Little brother fills big shoes as Crest rallies past Kings Mountain
KINGS MOUNTAIN — Eventually, A.J. Adams figured it would be his turn. That time wasn’t supposed to arrive for another year or so, however, coming after older brother Mari had moved on and a new group clad in green and gold roamed “The Stable.”
As is often the case in life, things don’t always go according to plan. But when called upon, the sophomore guard was prepared for his moment.
“With team leaders in foul trouble, someone needed to step up. I figured it was my turn,” A.J. Adams said. “I had to step up and lead our team to a victory.”
A.J. Adams scored nine of a team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter, helping Crest to an 85-82 win at Kings Mountain. With the win, the Chargers earned their 18th straight victory against Big South 3A competition, seizing the league’s top spot in the process.
“I really didn’t see fear in their eyes, you know that thing where they question what I’m telling them to do,” Crest boys basketball coach Brad LeVine said. “I know we got in foul trouble early, but when you have two all-conference players sitting the bench a whole quarter in the first half, and see we had actually cut into their lead. I couldn’t have been more pleased with the effort of my guys.”
A night after Stuart Cramer’s Will Kelly lit it up for 40 points, Crest (11-2, 6-0 Big South 3A) again found itself in the line of fire against Kings Mountain sharpshooter Zeke Cannedy. Through three quarters, the Mountaineer standout had 38 points and helped his team to a 12-point advantage. He finished with a game-high 48 points.
But with all-conference players like Mari Adams and Ray Hall on the bench with foul trouble, a subtle tweak may have changed Crest’s fortunes.
“Once we went to a zone (Kings Mountain) I think became a tad hesitant,” LeVine said. “We got about seven or eight steals out of that. I was surprised it happened, but it just absolutely took all of their momentum away.”
Down 62-50 at one point in the third quarter, an 11-0 run to close the period allowed Crest to cut Kings Mountain’s lead to one. A Kevin Kollock putback to start the fourth gave the Chargers their first lead since the second quarter, when they held a 26-21 advantage. And while Kings Mountain (9-6, 6-1) tied the game three times in the fourth, its offense never got back in rhythm.
Meanwhile, A.J. Adams coolly took care of business at the free throw line, hitting 5-of-6 down the stretch. “I’m still a little mad about the one I missed,” the sophomore joked following the game.
Along with A.J. Adams, Kollock had 19 points in the contest. Tylik Briscoe followed with 14 points, while Amareion Goodlett added 10.
Along with Cannedy, two other Kings Mountain players scored in double figures. Maddox James had 15 points for the Mountaineers, while Curtis Simpson had 11 before fouling out midway through the fourth.
More: Quick Hits: Cramer's Kelly hits a career milestone, but was it enough to get past Crest?
Boys basketball
Bessemer City 78, Highland Tech 36
Stuart Cramer 75, Hunter Huss 50: Will Kelly hit the 40-point mark for the second straight night, adding eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in a rout of Hunter Huss. Jacob Joyner joined Kelly in double figures, scoring 21 points. Justin Ross’ 18 points led Hunter Huss in a losing effort.
East Gaston 55, Thomas Jefferson 35: McCaskill Rivers earned a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, leading the Warriors to a key Southern Piedmont 1A/2A win.
Forestview 66, Ashbrook 54: Brandon Alfonse earned a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), while Nate Aguilar added 12 points and seven rebounds as Forestview knocked off rival Ashbrook for the second day in a row.
East Lincoln 80, North Lincoln 69: Logan Craig scored a career-high 21 points, Drew Bean added 14 while Palmer Chrichton and Keandre Walker had 11 apiece as the Mustangs got past rival North Lincoln.
Reed King led North Lincoln with 15 points. Connor Carson followed with 11 and Jack Waggoner added 10 for the Knights in the loss.
Shelby 80, Burns 70
Mountain Island Charter 62, Pine Lake Prep 56
Clover def. Boiling Springs
Girls basketball
Shelby 80, Burns 21
Kings Mountain 62, Crest 57: Up 20 at halftime, Kings Mountain withstood a furious Crest rally, the Chargers getting as close as three points. Saniya Wilson led all scorers with 25 points, with Khalia King adding 15.
Monica Surratt had 22 to lead Crest, with De’kaylia Davis adding 13 points.
Hunter Huss 65, Stuart Cramer 52
Forestview 48, South Point 39: Kendall Manning led all scorers with 22 points, adding five rebounds, four steals and three assists as the Jaguars downed South Point. Lexi Birtwhistle (14 points) and Rachel Tolbert (13 points) finished in double figures for the Lady Raiders.
East Lincoln 58, North Lincoln 16: Hailey McFadden (16 points, 14 rebounds) and Madison Self (11 points, 13 rebounds) each recorded a double-double as the Lady Mustangs rolled past rival North Lincoln.
Clover 46, Boiling Springs 19
Lincolnton at East Burke: No score reported.
Thomas Jefferson 49, East Gaston 26
Mountain Island Charter at Pine Lake Prep: No score reported.
Highland Tech at Bessemer City: No score reported.
You can reach Joe Hughes at 704-914-8138, email jhughes@gastongazette.com and follow on Twitter @JoeLHughesII.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Crest comes from behind to defeat Kings Mountain 85-82 on Jan. 26.
