Click HERE to see highlights from the North Buncombe @ West game last night, the video takes a few minutes to load and it starts with the girl's games so be sure and wait for it! Matthew's three pointer is shown and Stan even says his name! So cool!
Published: Wednesday, December 31, 2008 at 4:30 a.m.
West Henderson’s final game of 2008 will be remembered as its best.
Tuesday night at the West Christmas Doubleheader, the nightcap came down to the final minute, and what a final minute it was. North Buncombe’s Randy Pressley, arguably one of the best rebounders in the state, had an offensive rebound and put back with 5.3 seconds left, giving the Blackhawks a 54-53 lead.
But West answered with Daniel Hyatt hitting Kagan Williams on the inbounds pass, and Williams firing to a streaking Adam Troutman across the lane. Troutman then rolled the ball off his fingertips at the buzzer, and the ball found the net as the home crowd erupted after the thrilling 55-54 win.
“Kagan made a great assist, and I knew I didn’t have much time so I just jumped as far and as high as I could and fingerolled it in,” Troutman, who finished with a team-high 14 points, said. “It was my first game-winner, and it feels fantastic.”
Teammates surrounded him and showered him with high-fives.
“The thing about Adam is that he’s got a quick jump shot, and that makes him hard to defend,” Falcon coach Rob Bliss said. “For a senior who didn’t get to get to play a lot last year to be able to step in like he has this year and hit a shot like that, it’s big.”
It was a see-saw affair throughout, with the Blackhawks building a nine-point lead at 50-41 following six quick points from Pressley, who ended the night with a game-high 18 points. But the Falcons rallied for a 10-0 run to take the lead back after Kevin Thomas’ layup with 50 seconds left.
North Buncombe (6-6) answered with a quick jumper by Alex Roberson that made it 52-51, but the Falcons took the lead right back when Hyatt drained a 10-footer, setting up the two last-second shots by both teams.
Hyatt (10 points and 10 rebounds) and Troutman (10 rebounds) both had double doubles for West (5-5). Thomas was the only other Falcon in double figures with 13 points.
West’s boys and girls return to action Friday night at home against T.C. Roberson.Summary
BOYS
NORTH BUNCOMBE (54) — Bridges 4, Pressley 18, MacDowell 6, Ledbetter 6, Westbrook 3, Magee 4, Roberson 7, Fox 2, Bailey 4.
WEST HENDERSON (55) — Thelan, Young 6, Roberts 8, Williams 2, Troutman 14, Thomas 13, Hyatt 10, VanWingerden 2.
Halftime: West, 25-22.
