PURVIS – It’s hard to say what was more incredible – Sumrall’s comeback or Purvis’ meltdown.
The Tornado faithful watched in a frustrated state of disbelief as the Bobcats overcame a 15-point deficit and scored 22 points in the fourth quarter. At the same time, Purvis’ gym was filled with a roar from Sumrall’s fan base as the Bobcats kept their bitter rival from scoring any points in the game’s final quarter.
To put it simply, Sumrall outscored Purvis 22-0 in the fourth quarter, leading to the Bobcats’ first-ever Lamar County tournament championship title, and a win to open Region 7-4A play on Friday night.
Sumrall coach Eric Cooper didn’t realize how big the difference was in the quarter as the Bobcats improved to 9-2 on the season.
“I really think they can go as far as they really want to go,” Cooper said. “I believe in this group that we have got this year.
“Ever since 2007, when I was a junior in high school, the Oak Grove boys have won it. This is the first time that the Sumrall boys have won the Lamar County Tournament. We are glad to get this one, but our ultimate goal now is to get a district trophy and then see what happens after that.”
The key battle for both teams was winning inside the paint. It was not only the deciding factor in the final stretch of the game but was also why the first half remained so close.
After Sumrall held a narrow 13-12 lead by the end of the first quarter, the Tornadoes surged ahead in the second with a 10-2 run to go up 29-21. The Bobcats managed to narrow the score to 31-29, but Purvis’ Beni Raanes hit a layup as time expired to extend the Tornado lead to 33-29.
The momentum from Raanes carried over into the start of the second half, with Purvis (7-2, 0-1) going on a 13-2 run to build a 46-31 lead. However, Purvis’ offense failed to handle the moment with an increase of turnovers and ugly shots, slowly allowing Sumrall to climb back into the game.
“I thought we had a great gameplan,” Purvis coach Matthew Lofton said. “I think late in the game, we had some turnovers and struggled on the defensive glass. I think that ends up being the difference.
“If we had to do it again, maybe we are more patient on offense. Certainly, we would have liked to take care of the basketball a little bit better.”
The Bobcats not only began to find penetration inside the paint but also drew numerous fouls, with Sumrall attempting 37 free throw attempts. In the second half, Sumrall went 14 of 19, while Purvis attempted just 15 free throws in the whole game.
“It’s just how it worked out,” said Cooper on his team, reaching the free throw line. “We just wanted to be more aggressive to the rim. That’s where we seem to excel more when we go towards the basket instead of away from it. It allowed us to go to the free-throw line.
“I thought Purvis played a heck of a game with the way they played. They have an incredible team this year. They are going to make some noise this year.”
No player on Sumrall’s team scored in double digits, but seven players scored between seven and nine points. Notably, Purvis’ Jacoby Robinson had a game-high of 18 points.
The efficient free throw shooting from Sumrall and the slow offensive frustrations from Purvis culminated in the scoreless and deciding fourth quarter.
“Basically, I told them to just go off, play defense, and play our basketball,” said Cooper when asked what he had told his team late in the game. “All night, we had been playing their basketball. They were the more aggressive team and outworked us. They wanted it more than we did for the first three parts of the game. Finally, we said that we needed to take over and rise to the occasion.”
Sumrall travels to face Salem on Monday, while Purvis hosts Sacred Heart.
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