Appomattox eliminates Alleghany in OT cliffhanger

In one of the most physical basketball games of the 2019-20 season for the Appomattox Raiders, they hung on to defeat a pesky Alleghany Mountaineers team 60-55 in overtime Monday in the opening round of the Region 2C tournament.

Appomattox built up a 40-31 lead over the visiting Mountaineers in the fourth quarter, a lead that soon disappeared when Alleghany went on a nine-point run to tie the game on a free throw by Mitch Mitchell.

Both teams traded blows from that point on with six more lead changes.

With a little over a minute remaining in regulation time and the score tied at 44-44, Tyler Gilliam came up with a crucial steal and went coast to coast for a shot attempt but was fouled on the play. Gilliam made both free throws for a 46-44 lead with 55 seconds to go.

However, the never-say-die Mountaineers sent the game into overtime on a shot by Tristan Hensley with 14 seconds remaining. Shot attempts by Casey Scruggs and Timmy Clements of Appomattox bounced off the rim before time ran out in the fourth quarter.

In overtime, Scruggs and Hensley traded back-to-back three-pointers, giving Alleghany a 55-53 edge. But Gilliam evened the score on a fast break transition play, assisted by a Tevin Hurt pass after the Mountaineers lost possession of the ball.

Another Alleghany turnover resulted in a layup by Hurt for a 57-55 Raiders lead. Timmy Clements put the finishing touch on the win with a three-point play (layup, foul and free throw) on the receiving end of a long pass by Scruggs, who grabbed a rebound after a Mountaineers missed shot.

Alleghany is eliminated from postseason play.

The Raiders (13-7) move on to play in the Region 2C Quarterfinal round 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Radford.

For the rest of the story, see the Feb. 26 edition of the Times Virginian.