Boys basketball: GHS wins 3 OT thriller over West Hall

GAINESVILLE -- It took three quarters but Gainesville's Deshaun Watson finally found the zone.

The freshman guard poured in 30 points after the third quarter to lead the Red Elephants to a thrilling 70-67 win in triple overtime over Class AAA No. 4 West Hall in a key Region 8B-AAA game at the Gainesville gym.

Watson's surge was just what Gainesville needed at just the right time.

"We did not play well for the first three quarters but we found a way to hang in there until we could get something going," Gainesville coach Todd Cottrell said. "Deshaun played well at the end, but I was proud of how the guys stayed within the flow of the offense. It wasn't pretty but we'll take it."

The win moved Gainesville (14-6, 7-2 in Region 8B-AAA) just 1 ½ games behind West Hall (18-4, 9-1) in the subregion standings with two weeks left in the regular season. It also snapped the Spartans' 11-game win streak, which began after Gainesville rallied from a 22-point deficit to beat West Hall in the Lanierland Tournament. Gainesville has now won four straight.

Watson, who finished with a game-high 34 points, said someone needed to step up and he just happened to be the guy. He also had four steals, four rebounds, and hit four of the team's five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtimes.

"They guys found me when I was open and the shots just kept falling," he said. "I'm starting to feel more confident and I think the guys are more confident in me right now."

Gainesville looked down-and-out midway through the third quarter trailing 29-16 with more turnovers (18) than points. But Watson got going, scoring nine points in a 21-10 Red Elephants' run to pull them within 39-37 with just under four minutes left.

The game stayed nip-and-tuck the next three minutes until Watson gave Gainesville its first lead of the night at 45-44 on a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left. He would steal a West Hall pass on the next possession and hit one free throw for a 46-44 lead with 10 seconds left.

But the Spartans' Dre Pou answered scoring on an acrobatic layup while getting fouled with five seconds left to tie the game. Pou would miss the free throw, however, sending the game into overtime.

The first overtime would end at 50-50 with both teams missing free throws with an opportunity to expand the lead. West Hall looked poised to win it in the second overtime running out to a quick 56-50 lead but Gainesville rallied to send it to a third overtime on an A.J. Johnson basket with 35 seconds left. Both teams missed shots in the final 10 seconds for a chance to win the game.

In the third overtime, Watson scored the Red Elephants' first five points for a 65-62 lead. Gainesville maintained a three-point lead over the final two minutes hitting 3-of-4 free throws. The Spartans got one last shot to send it to a fourth overtime but Jarquise Young's 3-pointer bounced off the rim at the buzzer.

Johnson would finish with 13 points and six rebounds for Gainesville. The Elephants also hit 23-of-34 free throws for the game. The Spartans, however, were just 11-of-22 from the foul line.

West Hall was paced by 20 points from Pou, who had 18 after halftime. Shunquez Stephens had 16 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals for the Spartans. Young added 13 points and six assists, and Jamaad Stephens had 10 points -- all in the second half and overtimes -- and eight rebounds for West Hall.

The first half saw both teams struggle on offense while the defenses set the tone. West Hall forced 15 Gainesville turnovers in the first two quarters but could only convert them into four points. Poor shooting plagued the Spartans, who missed five shots within three feet of the basket but managed to lead 8-6 after the first quarter.

The Red Elephants had trouble with the Spartans full-court press, at one point committing six turnovers in an eight-possession span. West Hall never trailed in the first half and would end the second quarter on a 6-0 run for a 19-13 halftime lead.

The Spartans will look to bounce back at Oconee County on Tuesday, while Gainesville will look to claim its fifth straight win at home versus Lanier on Tuesday.