Staff report
CHINA GROVE ó First games are for learning, so what did Carson boys coach Brian Perry learn from his team’s 74-70 loss to J.M. Robinson on Friday night?
It needs more practice time at the free-throw line.
The Cougars were just 12 of 33 from the stripe, which decided the contest in Perry’s mind.
Especially after watching his team make only 3-of-11 in the fourth quarter.
“We know we were in position to win the game,” Perry said. “We’ll have to learn from it. But it would be nicer to learn from it after a win.”
Carson was down 71-70 with 14 seconds left when Josh Doby went to the line for two shots. He missed both. Robinson grabbed the rebound, was fouled and hit one.
Facing a 72-70 deficit, Carson got the ball to star Darius Moose. The 6-foot-3 center shot a floater that was just off, forcing another foul. Robinson capitalized with two free throws to seal the verdict.
Doby was the key player in the fourth quarter, helping Carson stay in it. He buried three 3-pointers in the final eight minutes, finishing with 12 points.
Moose and Brandon Ferrare were Carson’s stars early. While Moose finished with 24 points, Ferrare, who sat out last year, scored 15. They led a charge that saw Carson go up 33-31 at halftime.
“Ferrare’s a sparkplug,” Perry said of the 5-8 junior point guard. “I have not seen a kid who plays as hard as he does. But he was only 7-of-15 from the line.”
Another cause of concern is rebounding. Carson didn’t do a very good job as Robinson took advantage of several second shots.
“We defended pretty well, Perry said. “But we didn’t do a good job of boxing out. They sent everybody and really crashed the boards.”
Robinson (74) ó Bearden 28, Hampton 16, Turner 12, Potts 5, Renfro 4, Bennett 3, Horton 2, Sandel 2, Harris 2, Smotherson, Campbell, Streeter.
Carson (70) ó Moose 24, Ferrare 15, Doby 12, Clanton 7, Houston 4, Begic 2, Britt 3, Heggins 2, Walser 1, Jones, Sewell, Holloway, Harden.
Rob. 19 12 17 26 ó 74
Carson 17 16 11 26 ó 70