Priceville's lead dissolves in loss to Brooks

By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
KILLEN - Every missed shot is critical in a close game.
None were as painful as the flurry of missed shots by Priceville Thursday in a 52-47 loss to Brooks in a Class 4A sub-regional game on the road.
Priceville went cold in the second half and watched its 15-point lead disappear along with its hopes for a spot in the regionals as Brooks rallied late to beat the Bulldogs.
Marshall Garner hit a 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to provide Brooks with a lead the Lions would not relinquish in the Class 4A sub-regional game at home.
The loss ended Priceville’s year with a 14-17 mark. Brooks improved to 18-11 overall and set up a matchup with Fayette County at 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Northwest Regional at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.
Brooks outscored Priceville 26-9 in the fourth quarter to end the Bulldogs’ hopes of reaching the regionals.
Tyler Croft led Priceville with 14 points, Kristian Barker added 11 points. Wesley Baker finished with nine points and JaColby Reid chipped in eight points for the Bulldogs.
Matthew Scott scored 21 for Brooks. Marshall Garner contributed 14 points with four 3-pointers.
Brooks turned to the press in the second half and cut a 12-point deficit to just two points at 40-38 in the first four minutes of the fourth quarter. Priceville scored just one basket in the fourth quarter - a bucket by Wesley Baker, who added a free throw after being fouled on the play.
Baker’s basket put the Bulldogs up 47-43 with 1:59 remaining, but Priceville just couldn’t hold off the Lions.
Garner got Brooks back to within two points just 15 seconds later with a basket and Brad White added two free throws to tie the game at 47-47.
After Brooks added to the lead with another basket - this one a 3-pointer from Garner - Priceville’s Tyler Croft hit the first of a two-shot foul situation. Croft intentionally missed the second free throw, but Brooks’ Austin Hill got the rebound.
Hill hit two free throws with 1.5 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
Priceville plodded to an 8-6 lead after the first quarter and went into the locker room at halftime with a 17-15 advantage after Reid hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Bulldogs used a 12-2 run in the third quarter to stretch that lead to 35-23 as Brooks struggled with its offensive production. In the run, Croft had back-to-back 3-pointers that preceded two free throws from Croft following a Brooks technical.
Barker followed with a three-point play a minute later to give the Bulldogs a 38-23 advantage.
Barker’s basket was the last basket scored by the Bulldogs until the fourth quarter, a span of more than six minutes.
Even then, though, the Bulldogs’ lead was looking tenuous.
And several missed baskets by the Bulldogs was more than enough to let Brooks steal a win in the final minute of play.