Braden River basketball wins overtime thriller against rival Palmetto

As Jason Spicer Jr. lay flat on his back beyond the 3-point line and Braden River scrambled for a final shot, Deoni Cason stood in disbelief. The Pirates had coughed away a 10-point lead during the course of the fourth quarter and Spicer’s unlikely, off-balance 3-pointer during the final seconds was sending Tuesday’s Class 8A-District 11 opener into overtime.

“It was scary,” Cason said. “When he hit the 3 — I didn’t expect him to hit it. I was a little scared. I was nervous in overtime.”

After a back-and-forth opening half, Braden River raced out to a double-digit lead with lights-out shooting during the third quarter. It was a buffer the Pirates needed as the Tigers roared back to force overtime. And it was a template for success Braden River could then follow in overtime to pull out a 77-72 win at The William “Butch” Hughes Gymnasium in Palmetto.

Cason was the Pirates’ most steady contributor, finishing with 19 points and commanding the offense as both a point guard and secondary ballhandler, but Jacob Garrett’s 18-point output was Braden River’s most important. The wing forward canned five 3s, including three in a row during the third quarter, to key the Pirates’ best offensive stretch Tuesday.

“He came up massive there,” Cason said. “We got hype.”

Garrett’s run started on the final play of the first half. Braden River (4-0, 1-0) and the Tigers (1-2, 0-1) traded turnovers during a sloppy final seconds until finally a loose ball bounced into Garrett’s hands near midcourt. As the clock ticked to zero, Garrett heaved up a prayer, banking in a 3 to stretch the Pirates’ lead to 32-27.

Palmetto kept within range for most of the frame behind Jermaine Graham, who finished with a game-high 20 points, even cutting it to two points past the midway point of the quarter. For three possessions, Braden River got its offense to click.

“We played their game like the whole way through the first quarter, second quarter,” Cason said.

Garrett spotted up from the top of the key to knock down another 3. The Pirates’ lead grew to five. After a quick Palmetto answer, Garrett set up in the left corner. He sunk another. The Tigers’ lead grew to six.

His run ended a possession later. Braden River found Garrett on the left wing. Another 3 and a nine-point lead.

“We work on a lot of things in practice,” Pirates head coach Jason Mickan said. “He’s a great shooter. We got him open. We did some things we needed to.”

The Tigers never staged a single run during the final quarter, instead trading field goals and 3-pointers for turnovers and 1-for-2 trips to the free throw line. Spicer lifted Palmetto down the stretch, scoring eight of its final 10 points including the game-tying 3 — a pull-up jumper over a taller defender — as he went tumbling to the ground.

Braden River huddled around the bench, forced to regroup. If the Pirates executed like they did during the third quarter, they would pull out a critical win on the floor where their season ended a year ago during the district semifinals. Braden River trailed only for a moment during overtime, when Graham got loose for a breakaway dunk, before scoring on back-to-back possessions to take the lead for good and continue its perfect start.

“I was nervous in overtime,” Cason said. “But we came clutch at the end.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 11:09 PM with the headline "Braden River basketball wins overtime thriller against rival Palmetto."