4th quarter run sends Indians to program's first regional final
JACKSONVILLE — Through three quarters, the Indians led for a grand total of nine seconds.
But then, they took the lead just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter and never looked back.
The Pinson Valley High School boys basketball team found another gear in the fourth quarter and knocked off Class 6A No. 2 Lee-Huntsville 67-52 on Friday afternoon in the Northeast Regional semifinals, held at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“I’m extremely proud of the guys and the way they fought,” said first-year head coach Darrell Barber. “We struggled against the big guy and we had to figure some things out at halftime.”
Marques McConico’s putback bucket gave No. 7 Pinson Valley (21-9) a 27-26 lead early in the third quarter, but Lee-Huntsville went right down the court and scored to take back the edge. The Generals stretched the lead to eight before Pinson Valley went on a 12-5 run to end the quarter and cut the deficit to 45-44.
Lee’s Kobe Brown, a Texas A&M signee, had 10 of his team-high 28 points in the third quarter, as Pinson Valley struggled to find an answer for the 6-foot-7 forward.
“He’s a big guy,” said Pinson's GaQuincy McKinstry of Brown. “We had to find somebody that was willing to give their body up and we had to come together and decide to stop him as a unit.”
McKinstry played well down the stretch, scoring eight consecutive points for the Indians in a run that bridged the third and fourth quarters. He filled up the stat sheet overall, going for 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals.
But toward the end of the third quarter, things started to click for the Indians. That 12-5 run to end the third was extended to 21-5, as Pinson Valley notched the first nine points of the final period.
“We started defending, started getting the 50/50 balls,” Barber said of the key to the run. “And when we start seeing the ball go through the hoop, from that point on, we feel like you’re in trouble. They didn’t want to go home, bottom line.”
Pinson's Kam Woods went for 28 points of his own to tie Brown for the game high. He sank back-to-back 3-pointers to begin the Indians’ game-sealing run and poured in 14 points in the final period.
“When we get in a zone, nobody can stop us,” Woods said. “Nobody has the guards we have. When we’re on, it’s very hard to beat us.”
Lee-Huntsville (23-8) led 18-11 after a quarter of play and extended the lead to 10 points early in the second quarter before the Indians pulled within three at the halftime break, 26-23.
After losing in the same round each of the last two seasons, Pinson Valley wasn’t ready to see it happen again.
“One thing I know we have is heart and grit,” said Barber. “A lot of these guys have been to this point and haven’t succeeded.”
A handful of contributors for the Indians played a part last year, including McKinstry. But one player who was new to the raucous environment and intense pressure was McConico, who knocked down three critical 3-point shots, including a fourth-quarter connection that stretched Pinson’s lead to double figures. He finished with 11 points.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “This is my first year being in this position, but these players have been in this position and they told me to keep my head, my composure and keep shooting.”
Pinson Valley will return to Jacksonville State next Wednesday at 2:15 p.m., when the Indians will face Huffman in the regional final. It’s the first regional final appearance in school history.
“City rivals, it’s going to be packed,” McConico said.