Mary Persons holds off Burke County
FORSYTH -- Throughout the game and even into the waning moments, the theme more or less was repeated at Evans Gymnasium. Mary Persons inched to a lead against Burke County in the first round of the GHSA Class AAAA Tournament, only to see the Bears hang close enough to remain a threat. And the Bulldogs had an answer in one way or another all the way to the finish, putting the game away at the free-throw line to win 73-67 and advance to the second round.
Mary Persons (17-11) led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter before Burke County stormed back to trail briefly by one point and later by three, down 69-66 with 51 seconds to play. Mary Persons made 6-of-8 free throws in the game's final 1:02 to make it a two-possession game and hinder the chances of a Bears (16-8) rally.
FOUR WHO MATTERED
Que Perkins: The all-region selection lived up to the billing. His clutch shots from the short range combined with five 3-pointers kept Burke County guessing on a night in which he finished with 18 points. One of those big long-distance shots came early in the second half to finish off a 13-6 run to begin the second half.
Will Walters: Whether it was his penchant for going after rebounds or scoring a career-high 16 points, Walters played a major role in the Bulldogs being able to put together repeated offensive responses. And although it seemed minor at the time, one of his biggest plays came at the end of the first half when he tipped in a missed free throw as time expired to give Mary Persons a 36-32 lead. The Bulldogs harnessed that momentum to begin the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run.
Cam Holden: With Mary Persons leading by a point, his driving layup and converted free throw moved the game back to a four-point advantage. He also scored 18 points, helping bolster the Bulldogs' inside presence.
Kamarlo Walker: His 19 points were a major reason that the Bears were able to stay close and had a chance to draw even multiple times.
WORTH MENTIONING
In rhythm: The Bulldogs showed their firm grasp on running their offense and also not heavily relying on a single player. Mary Persons was able to move the ball around at a successful rate on offense, and the scoring column showed the results with Dre' Evans 10 points giving the Bulldogs four starters scoring in double figures.
Finding trouble: Burke County forward Jamal Hinkle found foul trouble, picking up his fourth foul early in the third quarter. He didn't re-enter the game until the fourth and even then was forced to play more cautious, and Mary Persons was able to be more aggressive driving the lane as a result.
THEY SAID IT
Mary Persons head coach Greg Nix on Perkins: "Before the game, I watched him warm up, and he was tight. I hadn't told him that he made all-region. I told him, 'I haven't told you this, but you made all-region. Let's go out there and play like an all-region player.' I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but he just went out, hit his first shot and just took off."
Nix of Mary Persons coming up with an answer: "We've done that all year. We keep playing, but the ball at times falls and a play doesn't go our way, but throughout the year, they've just kept playing; that's who our kids are. When it's time to play, they know it's time to play."
Nix on the play of Walters: "That made a big difference, Will Walters played the game of his life. He was in there getting rebounds, and he's got a black eye that he got against Upson-Lee. He sticks his nose in there and is not scared to do it. I think that black eye might have given him more confidence. (You can say) 'I got popped in the eye, but I'm still here playing.' "
Nix on Mary Persons' free-throw shooting: "That's why we practice them, to hit them in games like this."
WHAT'S NEXT?
Mary Persons faces Grady in the second round of the playoffs Saturday on the road.
This story was originally published February 17, 2016 at 9:48 PM with the headline "Mary Persons holds off Burke County ."