Jones rallies Cummings to 2-A state title
RALEIGH -- After barely touching the ball during the third quarter, Cummings forward Dwight Jones Jr. knew things had to change in the fourth quarter if his team was going to have a chance against Shelby in the 2-A state championship game.
Dwight Jones scored 10 points in the final 3:30 of the game to lift Cummings to a 68-65 come-from-behind victory. It is the Cavaliers' fifth state title in the last seven years.
"That's Dwight," said Cummings coach George Robinson Jr. "Whenever we need somebody to make a play, we look to Dwight."
Dwight Jones said he was a little frustrated in the third quarter when he scored only two points, but his coach told him to be patient and he passed that advice on to his team.
"In the fourth quarter, I was just going to step it up and be a team leader," Dwight Jones said. "I was just going to get real physical. Sometimes it was very hard because I was getting banged around."
With his team trailing 55-53, Dwight Jones scored on a layup with 3:30 to play. After the Lions went ahead 58-57, Dwight Jones scored another basket and then on the Cavaliers' next possession he rebounded a miss and faked before making a reverse layup and drawing a foul. His free throw with 1:51 to play gave Cummings a 62-58 lead and the Cavaliers made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on.
"We had talked about matching up with him. We did a good job of shutting him down in the third quarter," said Shelby coach Ken Napier. "In the last few minutes, he started getting loose and getting baskets. But that's what great players do."
Dwight Jones finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
Before Dwight Jones' heroics, the game had been a back-and-forth struggle, with both teams having big runs. The Cavaliers built a nine-point halftime lead with a 17-4 run to end the second quarter. But Cummings got sloppy with the ball and its shot selection in the third quarter. Shelby made Cummings pay by outscoring the Cavaliers 17-6 in the period, giving the Lions a 48-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
"We were back on our heels a little," Robinson said. "We could have extended that lead to 16. We needed to guard the ball a little better. We challenged them to show some heart."
It was the final game for Napier, who is retiring after 13 season as Shelby's coach.
"Even if we got the win tonight, it wouldn't be enough to pay coach back." said senior forward Danny Sanders.
Cummings (29-1) -- Dwight Jones Jr. 24, Omar Green 15, Stewart Quentin 10, Stafford Gatting 6, Breon Fonville 6, Antonio Tuck 4, Dante Daye 3.
Shelby (25-3) -- Darryl Montgomery 23, Ed Gullatte 18, Donald London 12, Danny Sanders 6, Neal Moore 6.
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