Varsity Boys fall in Heartbreaker

CAVS JUST SECONDS SHORT OF CHAMPIONSHIP

By Rich McGowan

REGION 3-A

METTER - In a game with 23 lead changes and 10 ties, the final basket was destined to determine the outcome. Only for Calvary, the 23rd lead change was one too many.

Claxton's Lebron Glover collected a loose ball in the paint and laid it in the basket with 3.8 seconds to play as the Tigers edged out the Cavaliers, 59-58, in the Region 3-A Tournament championship game Saturday.

Coming out of a timeout, Claxton had possession in Calvary's end as the Cavaliers nursed a one-point lead with 13 seconds to play.

Claxton guard Brandon Stanfield passed the ball down low to power forward Chris Bellamy, but the ball was knocked loose by a Calvary defender. The broken play ended with Glover collecting the ball and laying it in for the game-winning bucket.

"I feel like I need blood pressure medicine," said Claxton coach Eric Bluestein. "It was everything you want in a championship game."

Calvary entered the game having won 14 of its last 15 games. The Cavaliers have played in five of the last six region championship games winning three and losing two.

"We hoped to give them a good game and I think we did that tonight," said Calvary coach Jason Shell. "There were things we could have done different but that's the way the ball bounces. The kid hit a great shot, it hit every part of the rim and rolled in."

Calvary junior forward Dominique Henfield scored a game-high 20 points for the Cavs, grabbing a team-high eight rebounds.

Dom DeMasi scored 15 for Calvary while GeorgeTurner added 14 as the Cavs' record slips to 18-9 overall. Calvary will host its first round game of the Class A state tournament next week as the No. 2 seed from Region 3.

Claxton (24-3) will enter the state playoffs as the No. 1 seed thank to Bellamy's 16 points and 12 rebounds and Glovers 14 points. D.J. Jenkins added 10 for the Tigers.

Check basketball stats at savannahnow.com/prepcentral.

CALVARY DAY (58)

George Turner 14, Jones 5, Dom DeMasi 15, Dominique Henfield 20, Best 1, West 3.

CLAXTON (59)

D.J. Jenkins 10, Johnson 9, Lebron Glover 14, Slater 2, Chris Bellamy 16, Roberts 6, Mincey 2.

Halftime-26-25, Clax.

Records-Clax, 24-3 overall; CD, 18-9.