By Scott Nickerson
Elmore/Autauga News
A wild 4th quarter in the Championship Game of the annual Elmore County Basketball Tournament saw Stanhope Elmore go on a 9-0 run following a 47-47 tie. Elmore County then went on a 10-0 run to take a 1 point lead. After Elmore County hit a few free throws down the stretch, they led by three points as Stanhope Elmore brought the ball down court in the final seconds. The Mustangs found big man Dillon Williams who calmly drained a 3-point shot to tie the game at 62 with 11 seconds left. Elmore County called a timeout to call a play. Point Guard Garrett Allen took the ball down court and put a shot up. The ball hit the rim, then the backboard, then the rim again, and rolled into the net as the buzzer sounded, setting off a raucous celebration among the Panthers fans in attendance as the Elmore County Panthers won the County Tournament Championship.
Both teams played the night before, with Stanhope Elmore pulling out a tight game against Wetumpka, and Elmore County winning over tournament host Holtville High School. The Panthers looked sharp early on, making crisp passes and moving the ball well. The first quarter ended with Elmore County up 13-12.
In the second quarter, the Elmore County lead grew larger as the Mustangs missed four free throws, but Panthers’ guard Peyton Stephenson nailed two different three point shots. In a sign of heroics to come from Allen, on the final possession of the 1st half, Allen drove the lane and missed a shot, but got the rebound and put it back in before the buzzer ended the 1st half. Elmore County led 29-20 and the Mustang fans seemed shocked that they trailed by so much against a team they beat by 19 points in early December.
After scoring just 20 points in the first two quarters combined, the Mustangs scored 22 points in the 3rd quarter. The Mustangs went on a 10-0 run late in the quarter to go up by two points. Stephenson followed it with a made jumper for Elmore County to tie the game, but Nick Morgan hit a jumper at the end for the Mustangs to take a 42-40 lead heading into the last quarter. Morgan had 8 points and two rebounds in the 3rd quarter to lead the Mustangs effort.
The wild final quarter saw players on both teams make huge pressure shots. It was a game that appeared destined for overtime after Williams hit the impressive 3 pointer to tie the game, but Allen made sure that wouldn’t happen by hitting the final shot, giving Elmore County the win and tournament championship by a final score of 64-62.
Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Mustangs, and Morgan had 10 points and 4 rebounds.
The Mustangs record falls to 8-4 with the loss. They will need to get over the tough loss quickly. They host Benjamin Russell in the first area game of the year on Tuesday. Next Saturday, the Mustangs will play at Wetumpka in another area game.
