MAGNET COVE -- Bigelow allowed just 15 points in the first half, but the visiting Panthers team was held to 14 in the second half as Magnet Cove rolled Friday to a 43-38 win.
After trailing 24-15 at the half, Magnet Cove (8-2, 3-0 2A-5) used a big second half to take control of the game and defeat Bigelow (6-2, 2-1).
"Defensively, we finally got after it a little bit," said Magnet Cove head coach Matt Williamson. "We were just kind of slow into everything we were getting into -- defensively and offensively -- in the first half. We didn't finish easy shots in the first half either, so I felt like it should have been closer than it really was.
"We've done that this year for some reason. I don't know why. We respond the second half a lot better. We make our adjustments usually, and it works out in our favor. We've got to stop doing that because it's going to give me a heart attack for one."
The two teams traded baskets to start the second half, senior center Noah Maher putting up three consecutive for the host Panthers by the 5:36 mark to pull within 28-21.
Both teams hit a dry spell as neither team could put the ball through the hoop for 2:31, but Magnet Cove managed to pull within 33-28 going into the final eight minutes.
"We just kind of quit playing defensively," said Bigelow head coach Craig Neumeier. "We didn't have the same intensity we had the first half on a lot of it.
"They forced a lot because they sped us up. We kind of got out of our deal, taking some bad shots. They had a lot to do with that. We've got to overcome that a little bit."
Justin McKim put up a shot in the paint with just 22 seconds off the clock to kick off a 8-0 run to take the lead, Maher taking the pass from Eli Dawson for the go-ahead basket with 5:13 left in the game.
Magnet Cove never lost its lead, taking a six-point lead with 23.9 seconds remaining as Bradley Castle was sent to the line. Castle made one of the two shots before Bigelow's Rick Dunlap nailed a trey with 13 seconds to go. McKim was fouled on the floor for a one-and-one situation with 8.4 seconds left in the game, making both to set the final as Dunlap's desperation 3-pointer bounced off the rim.
"I hate that we let that one slip, but Magnet Cove, credit to them, they played well, made some adjustments, and we didn't adjust," Neumeier said. "They're tough to play. The crowd was good for them. We couldn't keep the big kid, 33 (Maher), he played well the second half. Credit to them for getting him the ball inside. He finished and scored for them."
Magnet Cove took an early 9-7 lead as both teams struggled in the first quarter to make shots, but Bigelow opened the second quarter on a 5-0 stretch to take a 12-9 lead with 1:06 off the clock. Maher had a putback before Dunlap hit a shot from distance to push the visiting Panthers to a 15-11 lead with 5:18 to go in the half.
Dunlap added five more points for Bigelow, including another trey, for the 24-15 halftime lead.
Maher led Magnet Cove with 22 points on the night, six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
"He's basically our stronghold down there underneath," Williamson said. "As long as he stays out of foul trouble, he just alters so many shots. He does so many things that don't go on the stat sheet.
"Offensively, he was great. We had to go to him. That was our goal, really, in the second half was to go to him to get us started, and it kind of opens everything else for everybody else."
McKim finished with eight points, a team-leading three steals, three rebounds and an assist, while Eli Dawson also had three steals with two assists and five rebounds.
"We're getting better at that," Williamson said of rebounding. "Early in the season, we didn't do a good job with game rebounding. We had one or two hit the boards, but we did a really good job tonight with everybody crashing the boards and making sure they didn't get second opportunities.
"They hit some tough shots in the first half, even with Noah altering them. They made some tough ones, but the second half, I told them, 'Keep making it hard for them. We'll figure out a way to get it.'"
Bigelow shot 36 percent from the floor and 50 percent from distance, but they struggled with rebounding, pulling down just 15 to Magnet Cove's 22.
"They beat us a lot on the rebounds," Neumeier said. "We're not very physical. We're athletic, but we're not real physical and tough. They've got a big kid inside, and he plays good. He's big, and he plays bigger than he is, I think."
Dunlap led Bigelow with 13 points on the night with four steals, two rebounds and one assist, and Tucker Williams added 12 points with two assists, a steal and a board. Nic Orr led the team in rebounding with seven, and Addison Brown ended up with a team-leading three assists.
Magnet Cove will host Cutter Morning Star Tuesday, and Bigelow will host Hazen.
Sports on 12/09/2018