BY CHRIS STONER
FLOYDS KNOBS — Visiting Charlestown was looking for its first win in more than a month while host Floyd Central was looking for its first 10-win season in five years.
In a Friday-night battle that came down to the final minute, the Highlanders got what they wanted by nosing past the Pirates 73-68 on Senior Night.
“We did not play our best basketball, but we won. In the past, that would not have happened,” Floyd head coach Randy Gianfagna said. “Two years ago, we would have lost that game. Even last year we would have lost that game.”
The Pirates led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but committed six fourth-quarter turnovers en route to their eighth straight loss.
“If we had done a better job of taking care of the ball with the lead and put ourselves in a better position, maybe things would have been a little different,” Pirates head coach Sean Smith said. “Again, that’s just something we’ve struggled with — handling the ball late in the game when the game is on the line.”
Jeffrey Thompson scored the first six points of the game as the Highlanders led 6-0 with 4:58 remaining in the first. The Pirates, however, responded quickly despite shooting just 22 percent in the first frame, tying the game 17-17 after one.
Charlestown began the second stanza with a 10-4 run to claim a 27-21 lead with 5:58 left in the period, forcing a Floyd timeout. The Pirates stayed hot and shot 72 percent from the field in the second to grab a 40-34 lead at intermission.
Bryan Williams nailed five 3-pointers in the first half. Williams and Ben Crenshaw combined for 30 of Charlestown’s 40 first-half points.
The Pirates pushed their lead to 49-38 with 6:40 left in the third. After a timeout, the Highlanders finished the quarter with a 16-8 run closing to within 57-54 going to the fourth.
“I think they scored on the first four possessions in the third quarter. They pushed it to 11 and I was really disappointed with our defense,” Gianfagna said.
A Chad Brady layup gave the Pirates a 64-57 advantage with 6:02 remaining. But Floyd proceeded to churn out an 10-1 spurt capped by a Ben Allen bucket to claim its first second-half lead at 67-65 with 2:14 left.
“They hit some big 3s late. We kind of keyed on (Ryan) Adam and (Codey) Banet but then (Allen) came up and hit a big one. You have to credit them for being patient late, stepping up and hitting some big shots,” Smith said.
Once they grabbed the lead, the Highlanders did not relinquish it. The hosts hit 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch to secure its first 10-win season in five years.
Adam led Floyd with 22 points, including four 3s, while Banet scored 14 of his 16 in the second half to help fuel the Highlanders comeback.
Crenshaw poured in a game-high 22 for the Pirates, including 11-of-12 from the foul line. Williams finished with 18 on six 3-pointers.
CHARLESTOWN 17 23 17 11—68
FLOYD CENTRAL 17 17 20 19—73
Charlestown (2-18) — Crenshaw 22, King 2, Coyne 6, Lloyd 4, Williams 18, Vest 5, Williams 0, Brady 11, Hall 0.
Floyd Central (10-10) — Adam 22, Mitchell 0, Codey 6, Banet 16, McAfee 8, Allen 7, Crone 2, Thompson 12, Veroff 0.
Three-point field goals — Charlestown 8 (Crenshaw, Williams 6, Vest); Floyd Central 7 (Adam 4, Banet 2, Allen).
Rebounds — Charlestown 22, Floyd Central 29.
Turnovers — Charlestown 15, Floyd Central 12.
JUNIOR VARSITY: Charlestown 22 (3-7-5-7) — Hayes 4, Coyne 2, Thorstad 0, Atkins 3, Leary 0, Holt 0, King 2, Baker 4, Bates 2; Floyd Central 32 (10-3-10-9) — Veroff 10, Jeffries 0, Niehoff 2, Peters 0, Sturgeon 3, Crone 5, Miller 3, O’Neal 6, Jenney 0, Naville 0, Schellenberg 2, Missi 0, Bomergbach 1.
