‘What a game, man.’ Westside basketball hangs on to knock off Central in overtime.
Quay Primas got Central and the crowd off to a hot start with a dunk and deep 3-pointer in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game against Westside.
But Seminoles junior guard Kowacie Reeves Jr. put on his own first-quarter show, scoring seven to help Westside stay close in its 62-60 overtime win over the Chargers.
The Chargers, up 17-16 after the first quarter, kept Reeves in check in the second quarter and extended their lead to 37-29 heading into the half. Westside’s Javian Mosely scored seven points in the second to keep the Seminoles close as Central threatened to pull away. Primas, who led the Chargers with 18 points, had six in the second quarter.
Coming out of the half, the Seminoles went on an 11-0 run. Reeves and Mosley combined for 10 points in the third. Reeves slammed an alley-oop from senior guard Jurico Campbell to put Westside up 40-37. Westside clung to a one-point, 45-44 lead heading to the fourth quarter.
The two teams traded baskets throughout the fourth quarter. Reeves hit a 3-pointer with less than four minutes to play to put Westside up 53-49. But Primas and the Chargers refused to go away as they closed the game on a 7-3 run to tie the game and push it to overtime. Clutch free-throw shooting from Westside in overtime helped them hang on for a two-point victory as a potential Central buzzer-beater hit the rim and bounced out.
Westside moves to 12-8 on the season. The Seminoles have won five straights games and sit at 7-1 in the region. They travel to Kendrick on Friday.
Central falls to 12-6 and had its four-game win streak stopped. The Chargers sit at 6-2 in the region and will travel to Jackson on Friday.
THREE STARS
Westside’s Javian Mosley: He is one of the best scorers in Middle Georgia as is averaging 23 points per game. He finished just one shy of the average with 22 points on the night. He hit 5-6 from the free throw line in the final quarter and overtime to help ice the game.
Westside’s Kowacie Reeves Jr.: There is a reason he is a four-star recruit with offers from Division I schools like Clemson, Florida and Georgia. He finished with 18 points and made some big defensive plays down the stretch, including a charge he drew in the final minutes that kept Central from taking the lead.
Central’s Quay Primas: The Central big man finished with a double-double and paced the team with 18 points. Primas is a bit banged up with a couple nagging injuries and was cramping down the stretch of the game. But he continued to provide big minutes and big numbers.
THEY SAID IT
“It ain’t no secret. We rely on them heavily. But I told all of our guys in the locker that someone besides Jaye or Kowacie are going to have to make a big play. I thought Marcus Wideman, a senior gave us some good energy off the bench.” - Westside head coach Josh Grube on Reeves and Mosely’s big games.
“He is very important to their team and he is very hard for us to stop because we don’t have anyone to match up with him physically. We ran two at him. That is the kind of respect that we give him.” - Grube on how hard it is to stop Primas.
“The number one thing I wrote on the board before we came out was number one seed. We want to go into the region as the number one seed. Now we don’t have it yet. We still have some games we got to play.” - Grube on the importance of getting the win in region play.
“What a game, man. If you’ve never experienced one you have to come to it. Just like Northside and Warner Robins in football, if you’ve never been to it, you got to go.” - Grube on the rivalry with Central.