Alex Washington hits late three to lift Spartans
Alex Washington nailed a three-pointer with under two minutes remaining to give Mountain Brook the lead for good, as the Spartans knocked off Brentwood (TN), 58-55, on Saturday in the Border Wars Showcase.
Brentwood did not take its first lead until midway through the third quarter, as Reed Smith converted at the basket. The lead changed hands three more times, and Brentwood tied the game at 49-all with a Ben Bautista three-pointer in the final quarter.
Washington was ready for the moment, as he found himself open in the corner, and knocked in the long ball to put the scoreboard back in favor of the Spartans.
"I was just trying to make a play to help my team and just trying to make a shot," he said.
His work was not done, however, as he went to the free throw stripe with Mountain Brook up 54-52. He sank both to make it a two-possession contest. The nerves stayed away, even in the clutch situation.
"I was pretty calm," Washington said. "I practice that all the time, working on free throws after practice and all that."
Early in the game, Ben McCool cashed in a three-pointer and scored on a drive to the basket on the next possession to put the Spartans ahead 14-5 in the first quarter.
But each time Mountain Brook (20-5) threatened to pull away for good, Brentwood inched its way back.
Brentwood gained some traction in the second period with its halfcourt trap defense, and some easy baskets followed. A foul with 0.9 seconds remaining in the first half gave Brentwood a pair of cheap free throws, and Mountain Brook led 30-23 at the break.
Trendon Watford led the Spartans with 16 points, as the freshman started strong with ten of those in the first half. He also chipped in seven rebounds and four assists.
Teammate Jack Kline was also a force in the opening two periods, with six of his game-high nine boards. He scored 11 points, narrowly missing a double-double.
Kellen King paced things for Brentwood, scoring 16 points. Toe Bautista, Ben Bautista, and David Windley each scored nine.
McCool finished the game with nine points.
As the host of the event, Mountain Brook put forth a good showing against a team from the state of Tennessee. But the Spartans don't view it as anything different than the norm.
"It's good but Coach (Buckly McMillan) tells us everyday we're playing against ourselves every game," Washington said.
The Spartans return to the floor at Thompson on Monday at 7:30 p.m.