Carolina Forest boys’ rally comes up short against Sumter

Despite a torrid start to Region VI-AAAA play, Carolina Forest knew its pursuit of a league title would eventually put it nose-to-nose with defending state champion Sumter.

The Panthers got their first swing of the ax Tuesday night, hosting the Gamecocks in “The Black Hole,” with the victor getting a leg-up in the race for a region title.

Once all was said and done, however, the kings of Class AAAA proved to be the last team standing.

Down by two after a furious Carolina Forest rally put it in front, a Cedric Rembert 3-pointer with a minute to go proved to be a game-winner, Sumter escaping with a 50-47 victory.

In the game’s closing seconds, the Panthers had a pair of opportunities to tie or take the lead.

With 11 seconds left, an errant inbounds pass was intercepted by a Gamecocks defender, forcing Carolina Forest to foul and send Rembert to the charity stripe. After the Sumter guard converted both free throws, Damon McDowell’s last-second heave caromed off the backboard and off the front iron.

“I’m so proud of these guys to come on the road and get a win,” said Sumter boys basketball coach Shawn Jones. “We didn’t play to win, instead playing to keep the lead. Good job on their part and they stalled us out. But in the end, we got the job done.”

After a quick spurt by Carolina Forest staked it to a 5-0 lead, the Gamecocks took control courtesy of their trademark zone defense, forcing the hosts into turnovers that translated into easy buckets. At several moments in the second half, Sumter led by as many as nine points.

But down 44-36 with six minutes remaining, the Panthers began to make their move.

Sparking the rally would be one of the team’s prized reserves, Richmond Collier, whose acrobatic layup drew Carolina Forest to within six. After Sumter split a trip at the foul line, Tariq Timmons found his way to the bucket, drawing the Panthers to within five, 45-40.

Able to make a couple of stops on the defensive end of the the floor, the Panthers pulled to within a point with three minutes to go when McDowell and Collier knocked down shots on consecutive possessions. The 11-1 run culminated with a Matthew Weatherwax 3-pointer, pushing Carolina Forest ahead by two, 47-45.

However, Rembert’s shot from long range will be all the rage, propelling Sumter to the top of the region standings.

According to Carolina Forest boys basketball coach Brian Brunson, the loss was a missed opportunity.

“Offensively, we were stagnant, and on defense there was no energy,” he said. “(During the 11-1 run) we started creating a lot of opportunities, starting with our defense and kids started looking and executing. It just happened too little, too late. … Forty-seven points isn’t going to do it for us though.”

McDowell had a game-high 18 points, albeit in a losing effort. Meanwhile, Rembert had 16 in leading Sumter to a road win.

Brunson and his team do not have long to sulk over he loss, though, as Conway heads into “The Black Hole” on Friday night.

“We’ll regroup,” he said, “this is a hardworking, good group of kids.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 11:37 PM with the headline "Carolina Forest boys’ rally comes up short against Sumter."