- Gainesville boys basketball team has won seven straight games after a 59-56 home loss to Hawthorne on Jan. 6.
- Gainesville defeated Newberry 63-60 in overtime despite losing a 17-point second-half lead.
- Senior AJ Hall scored 23 points and made 3-of-4 free throws in overtime on Senior Night for Gainesville.
- Newberry lost without their top scorer Juwan Scippio and was led by Henry Mathias who scored 25 points with five three-pointers.
The regular season has literally been a real roller-coaster ride for the Gainesville boys basketball team.
After a 59-56 loss at home to Hawthorne on Jan. 6, the Hurricanes were 6-11.
They haven’t lost since.
On Tuesday night at the Purple Palace, Gainesville lost a 17-point second-half lead, forced overtime, and made 8-of-10 free throws in the extra period to hold off Newberry, 63-60.
On Senior Night for GHS, senior AJ Hall scored 23 points, including three of four from the free-throw line in the overtime period. Junior Willie Brooks, who scored 14 points, and senior Craig Thomas Jr., who added 13 points, both hit two free throws as well in overtime as the Hurricanes got all of their points from the line in the extra period.
“We made a lot of silly turnovers and let them back in the game,” Gainesville coach Mike Barnes said. “We were getting stops, but they are a feisty team and were scratching and clawing and got back in the game. We have to do a better job of holding onto the ball. We need to work on that and clean that up.”
Newberry (15-3) dropped their second game in a week to a Gainesville city team, after losing 59-51 at Buchholz last week. The Panthers, playing without senior and leading scorer Juwan Scippio, were led by senior Henry Mathias with 25 points, including five 3-pointers.
“Newberry is a good team and they have a good coach,” Barnes said. “When they get Scippio back, that team could go far in the playoffs.”
Gainesville (13-11) got off to a good start, leading 20-13 after the opening period, with Hall leading the way with eight points.
Gainesville kept rolling in the second period, leading by as many as 14 points before settling for a 34-23 halftime lead.
“The game plan was for me to draw the foul and shoot free throws,” said Hall, who finished 12-for-20 from the line.
The Hurricanes extended the lead even more in the third period, scoring the first six points for their biggest lead at 40-23. But Newberry chipped away, getting within 45-36 at the end of the period.
Newberry moved ahead in the fourth quarter, leading 53-50, before Thomas tied the game with a three-point play and the game went to overtime tied at 55-55.
In the seven-game winning streak, Gainesville has four wins by three points or less. The Hurricanes finish the regular season on Friday at city rival Eastside.
