WEB CAST.
Dominique Reed banked in a bucket from left of the key with less than three seconds left to break a 68 all tie with the Clayton Comets on Friday night as he sent Trojan Coliseum into a frenzy as the Trojans claimed their third straight conference tournament championship 70-68.
Clayton (18-6) dominated the opening quarter and a half overcoming a five point deficit to take a 19-12 lead after the first period. That lead ballooned to near double digits midway through the second quarter before the Trojans got on the comeback trail.
Larry Richardson put Garner (23-2) on his back in the first half hitting shot after shot to finish the half with 14 points and give Garner a two point lead late in the quarter before Julius Barnes knocked in a short jumper to make it 33-29 Trojans at the break.
The third quarter was nip and tuck and the Comets managed to stay close thanks to the outside shooting of Anthony Gaskins who knocked home a pair of three pointers in the third quarter as he finished the game with five shots from distance, but after three Garner led 51-49.
Clayton built a seven point lead with just over three minutes left and after back to back to back steals and layups by Garner, it was just a one point game entering the home stretch.
With less than a minute to go and the Comets up three, 68-65, the Trojans went to their go to guy Reed, who put back an offensive rebound and drew a foul and went on to complete the old fashioned three point play.
The Comets had one final possession as the game clock wound inside of 20 seconds but a steal by Demarcus Sanford gave Garner their final crack at the winner. On the final play, Richardson fed Reed on a jump pass for the games final two points and gave the home team a 70-68 victory.
Garner will return to action on Monday night in the opening round of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association's 4-A State Playoffs. Tip off is slated for 7:00, the opponent however is not known at this time but the brackets will be announced on Saturday afternoon.
Once we know the brackets, we will provide the playoff information.
Enjoy the final possession courtesy of Sweetteav Productions and Coach Boyette:
Reed's buzzer beater sends Trojans to Conference title
