Gulley's late FTs lift Lakeside over Magnolia, 45-43

Kirsten Gulley saved his best for the final 10 seconds of the Lakeside boys' 5A-South clash with Magnolia Friday night at Lakeside Athletic Complex.

The junior first stole a pass and drove the length of the floor, where with just over four seconds remaining he was fouled in the act of shooting. Gulley then stepped to the free-throw line and calmly drained a pair of free throws to lift the Rams to a 45-43 victory over the visiting Panthers.

In helping Lakside improve to 6-10 overall and 3-2 in conference play, Gulley finished with seven points via a 7-for-12 performance from the line.

"That was a huge sequence by Kirsten," said veteran coach Tommy White shortly after his Rams' two-point victory, which dropped Magnolia to 9-4 overall and 2-3 in the 5A South. "We had talked at halftime and during timeouts about getting the loose balls tonight. We didn't get them and didn't hit free throws against Hope and Watson Chapel, and we felt like that was the difference in the outcomes of both ball games.

"Tanner Rice got several loose balls tonight. Then, Kiersten gets that one at the end of the ballgame, goes the length of the floor and gets fouled. He then hits the two big free throws, making us 16 for 24 from the line. It was just a great win and confidence builder for our kids, especially coming off the two close home losses to Hope and Watson Chapel."

The Rams jumped on the Panthers early, racing out to a 16-8 lead through the first eight minutes. Magnolia, though, went on a 16-9 second-quarter run to trim the deficit to 27-24 by halftime.

Lakeside slimly outscored Magnolia 9-8 in the third quarter for a 36-32 cushion going into the fourth, but a 6-0 Panther run in the early stages gave them a 38-36 lead with 5:35 remaining.

The Rams scored the next four points, via a driving layup by Rice and pair of Gulley free throws, to regain the lead, but the Panthers struck right back as Trey Davis drained a three-pointer at the 3:26 mark to give Magnolia a 41-40 lead.

Over the next 2 1/2 minutes, senior Andrew Spakes hit a pair of free throws and Gulley connected on the front end of a one-and-one opportunity for Lakeside. Meanwhile for Magnolia, Derecus Walker drained a pair of free throws, making it a 43-all game as the Panthers worked the ball out front for what they hope would be a game-winning shot.

Gulley spoiled that plan with his game-winning steal and subsequent free throws. Highly regarded Magnolia guard Ja'Monty Bunn, whom the Rams limited to just seven points with a box-and-one defense, missed a 12-foot runner at the buzzer.

In addition to Gulley, Lakeside was led offensively by Spakes with 12 points and Rice with 11.

Davis led balanced Magnolia with eight points, Bunn and fellow guard Malik Dunn both scoring seven points.

Up next for the Rams is a Tuesday night home game against cross-town rival Hot Springs.

"We just have to take things one game at a time, and next up for us is Tuesday night against the mighty Trojans," White said. "They are a great bunch of kids and coach Echols (Rodney) does an outstanding job with them, but our kids will be ready to battle and get after them the best that we can."

Girls

Offensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities helped visiting Magnolia keep its 5A-South record unblemished Friday night with a 46-43 victory over Lakeside.

"Magnolia's offensive rebounding and our lack of defensive rebounding were the keys to the game," said Lakeside coach Chris Brock, whose Lady Rams fell to 10-7 overall and 3-2 in conference play. "I thought in the first half that they didn't score it well and we turned the ball over too much and didn't get enough shot opportunities.

"Their best player (Lillie Moore) made two threes early, but other than that I don't remember them making more than maybe one other outside shot the entire night. They are athletic, though, and when they missed it, they just went and got the rebound and put it back up. It was like they were passing it to each other almost."

Despite giving up multiple second-chance opportunities and a total of 22 first-quarter shots to the Lady Panthers, the Lady Rams, after connecting on 2 of 9 field goals, trailed by just six points, 14-8, going into the second quarter.

In a defense-dominated second quarter that saw just three made field goals, Lakeside trimmed the deficit to 18-15 by halftime before going on a Tatum Rice-led 16-10 run that netted it a 31-28 lead going into the final eight minutes.

Rice, who hit three threes and scored 11 third-quarter points, drained another trey at the fourth quarter's 6:24 mark to stake Lakeside to a 36-30 lead.

Magnolia, though, exploded for 10 unanswered points - six from the free-throw line - for a 40-36 lead with 2:53 remaining. Rice hit a pair of free throws at the 1:44 mark to draw Lakeside within two, but Magnolia responded with five unanswered points - conventional three-point play by forward T.K. Ellison and a pair of free throws by guard Tia Bray - to take a 45-38 advantage with 1:16 left.

Rice hit another three with 57 seconds remaining to draw Lakeside within 45-41, and after a Magnolia turnover, Gracen Blount capitalized with a short jumper that made it 45-43 with 38 seconds to go.

Offensive rebounds on missed free throws allowed Magnolia to attempt six on its final possession, making just one to set the final margin. Lexi Tejcek's attempt to tie from three-point range rimmed off just before the final buzzer, improving Magnolia to 10-3 overall and 5-0 in conference play.

Rice led the Lady Rams' scoring attack with a game-high 19 points. Leading the way for Magnolia was Kisi Young with 14 points, Moore and Ellison each adding 12 points.

Boys

Magnolia 8 16 8 11 -- 43

Lakeside 16 9 9 9 -- 45

Magnolia: Davis 8, Bunn 7, Dunn 7, Shaw 6, Jones 6, Walker 5, Watson 2, Brown 2.

Lakeside: Spakes 12, Rice 11, Gulley 7, Wilson 6, Bland 5, Smith 4.

Girls

Magnolia 14 4 10 18 -- 46

Lakeside 8 7 16 12 -- 43

Magnolia: Young 14, Ellison 12, Moore 12, Clark 6, Bray 2, Porchia 1.

Lakeside: Ta. Rice 19, Tejcek 7, Nester 6, Th. Rice 5, Bellamy 4, Blount 2.

Sports on 01/24/2016

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