Published: February 27, 2008 02:10 pm            

Raiders gain final...not without a battle from Comets

SANDY HOOK - East Carter went up on West Carter by double digits, watched the Comets took a one-point lead late, then regrouped to claim the hard-fought 55-45 win in opening-night action in the 62nd District Tournament at Elliott County High School.

With the win the Raiders advance to Friday night’s championship game and earned a berth into next week’s 16th Region Tournament at Morehead State.

But getting out of the first round proved a tougher test than the last time the rivals hit the hardwood. East took both regular-season matchups with West and while the third time was not the charm for the Comets, they certainly came a lot closer.

“We started out pretty good and then had that bad stretch,” Raider senior Ryan Sagraves told The Journal-Times. “And West Carter never gave up.

After staying within a basket or two for much of the first half, East Carter capped 10-2 run on Colt Barnhill’s put-back bucket with :47 to go in the second quarter. With that basket, the Raiders led 23-12. But West Carter’s Chris Barker slipped behind defense and was able to put in two more before the half.

That basket triggered a West Carter run that stretched over two halves and culminated on a pair of free throws by Barker at 3:19 in the third. Those two tosses brought the guys from from Olive Hill all the way back and even nudged them in front by one, 29-28.

But just as soon as West looked to have the momentum, East had other thoughts. Drew Johnson, Sagraves and Barnhill combined for six quick points and Brandon Baker’s bunch from Grayson was up five, 39-34. Out of a timeout, Kyle Bair connected on four straight from the charity stripe and the Raiders were rolling, 38-29.

“That was the difference, their lead early in the game - we just lost focus,” Barker said. “We realized it was play or go home and we weren’t ready to leave yet. We played hard with that high intensity and started attacking the basket to get the lead.

“When we got the lead we wanted to just keep playing like that and we knew we could win the ball game -- and they seemed to panic a little bit.”

But when the Raiders got to the free throw line in the second half, they worked on keeping their lead. East hit 20-24 at the stripe in the third and fourth quarters and finished 22-29 on the night.

“We really started playing smarter and got under control at the point where they had the lead,” Sagraves said. “Free throws are a big part of the game and we were confident at the line and that always helps.”

Barker, who battled through a host of Raider defenders in the post to notch a game-best 24 points, gave credit to East’s effort during the stretch run.

“They matched our intensity from that point on,” the Comet big man said. “When things looked bad for them, they didn’t quit -- they kept after it.”

As a team the Raiders hit 50-percent from the field on 16-32 shooting. Baker’s club struggled through 13 turnovers but had that big 10-point difference from the free throw line.

Bair finished with a team-high 14 points for East and Johnson added 13. Barnhill’s double-double put a dozen points with 10 rebounds. Barker was the lone Comet in double figures. Aaron Rayburn chipped in six points and Taylor Webb had five.

“We never gave up even when they went on that run,’ Webb said. “We kept battling back on ‘em. We had talked about all the people who had picked East to beat us again and we wanted to prove ‘em all wrong -- and the girls wining their game, that really got us pumped up.”

West Carter outrebounded the Raiders, 32-28, but managed to make just 1-17 on three-point attempts and finished 16-52 (31-percent) from the field.

Baker & Co. do battle with the Elliott County/Morgan County winner in the boys’ final this Friday, Feb. 29, at 7 p.m. Look for results and coverage of the 16th Region Tournament in next week’s sports section.

        

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