Rebels prove to be a difficult test for Hayti when their intensity level rises

ESSEX – One needs to be aware that when the Richland (Essex) High School boy’s basketball squad chooses to play to its potential, which hasn’t always been the case this season, it remains a team to be reckoned with.

The Rebels trailed a very good Hayti team 52-42 early in the final quarter on Saturday before exploding on the Indians and clawing their way to a 64-60 victory.

“We played basketball,” Rebel coach Matt Cline said of the late rally. “We took care of the basketball.”

That was the difference, as Hayti had a look in the final seconds while trailing 62-60, but Richland (Essex) junior guard Hayden Conner stole an errant pass from Hayti junior guard J’Vonta Payne.

“Turnovers and (Richland) hit their free throws,” first-year Indian coach Donald Webb said of the difference late in the game.

Hayti (14-4) is ranked ninth in Class 2 and had methodically pulled away throughout the contest. However, the Rebels began to click offensively in the final minutes both off the dribble, as well as from the perimeter.

With just under six minutes remaining, Rebel junior wing Gary Tilley hit his second of two straight 3-pointers, which took a 10-point deficit to 52-48, and forced Webb to call a time out to reset his team’s defensive scheme.

“Their size and offensive rebounds,” Webb said of the challenge of defending Richland (Essex). “They were getting a lot of second-chance points. We had defensive lapses in the fourth quarter.”

A drive by Rebel senior point guard Hunter Sanders trimmed his team’s deficit to 55-53 at the 4:35 mark and Richland (Essex) senior forward Eric Williams tied the game with just under four minutes remaining at 55 with a pair of free throws.

“I thought we did a pretty good job throughout the game of moving without the ball,” Cline said, “which we have not done a very good job of this year.

“We got the ball in (the paint) and finished at the rim.”

With eight seconds on the clock and Hayti trailing 61-60, Payne drove to the rim only to have his shot swatted by Rebel senior forward Tucker Hughes.

In the final seconds, Conner sank three free throws to seal the game.

Richland (Essex) (13-11) is ranked 11th in Class 1 but had dropped five of its previous six games leading into Saturday.

“If we can get our intensity level to where it is supposed to be,” Cline said, “which is what I saw tonight. We can’t go into these games where our intensity level is 100 when we’re playing this team, but our intensity level is 60 when we’re playing some other team.”

Tilley paced his team with 22 points on four 3-pointers while Sanders (12 points) and Williams (10 points) also contributed.

The Rebels shot 20 free throws and hit just seven while Hayti sank 7 of nine free throws.

Payne led his team with 21 points while sophomore Nicolia Sohahong-Kombet finished with 14 points on four 3-pointers.

Indian sophomore Jahiem Dunn had eight points.

The Indians will visit Class 1 No. 3-ranked Risco (22-2) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Richland (Essex) will host Bernie (15-6) on Tuesday at 7:15 p.m.