HANCEVILLE — Sitting in a post-game press conference trying to catch his breath, senior Skyler Gant didn’t hesitate when asked how Thursday’s regional semifinal comeback victory ranked among the rest this season.
“This is number one,” said Gant, who led the team with 24 points.
Elkmont’s 72-62 overtime win over Holly Pond didn’t come without a fight. The Red Devils trailed by as many 16 points in the first half and again by five points with less than two minutes to play in regulation.
“What can I say about the effort of our team,” Elkmont head coach Garth Garris said. “Probably the best 20 minutes of basketball as I could ask for to win the game.”
Garris is referring to his team’s second half comeback effort that gave Elkmont its first win at a regional tournament in school history. Elkmont scored the final 15 points in regulation and overtime in a game that featured several runs by both teams.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” Gant said. “We knew we would have ours, just like they had theirs. We ended coming out on top.”
Holly Pond went on the first run when the Broncos took their largest lead of the game at 31-15 in the second quarter. Garris called a timeout and went with a full court press to cut the lead to nine points at halftime.
“That was huge,” Gant said about getting to within single digits before the half. “We were just able to tie the game and force overtime, so if we wouldn’t have done that before the half, who knows what would have happened.”
Elkmont carried that momentum into the third quarter, making a 10-2 run to start the second half. The third quarter rally was led by 3-point baskets from Dan Logan and Hayden Huseth. Logan added 21 points, including 15 in the second half while Huseth scored seven in the win.
“Needless to say, it wasn’t a pretty locker room at halftime,” Garris said. “But they responded. “We went back to man and our 1-3-1 trap and that changed the tempo of the game. When you have an opportunity to win, you need to take advantage of it.”
Elkmont took its first lead of the game when Cole Glass’s put-back shot went in just before the third quarter buzzer sounded. The Red Devils’ 50-48 lead would not last long as Holly Pond went on another run to start the fourth quarter.
After Dan Logan scored the first two points of the fourth quarter, Elkmont went on a scoring drought of more than five minutes in which Holly Pond promptly took advantage, going on a 10-0 run.
It was all Elkmont from that point on as the Red Devils scored the final five points in regulation to force overtime. Holly Pond could not muster another run as Elkmont outscored the Broncos 10-0 in overtime.
Elkmont advanced to play Carbon Hill Saturday at 2 p.m. for a chance to play for the school’s first boys state championship.
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