Sagemont (Fla.) slips past Knott County (Ky.) and into the Beach Ball semis

Sagemont (Fla.) High hasn’t been in a one-possession game in the past three seasons.

But they had the right man on the free throw line when the situation arose Monday in the quarterfinals of the Beach Ball Classic at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center.

Sophomore Luis Hurtado broke a tie with a free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining to give the Lions a 50-49 win over Knott County Central (Ky.).

“We’ve won and lost, but we haven’t been in a game in three seasons where a team had the ball down one, two or three with a chance to win,” Ross said. “I’m happy that in three years we’re 1-0 in that situation.”

Sagemont advanced to the semifinals to face the winner of Monday’s late Bishop Gorman (Nev.)/Shadow Mountain (Ariz.) game.

Hurtado was fouled in the backcourt by a Knott County player who was unaware the Patriots didn’t have a foul to give, and calmly hit the first free throw.

He was told by the coaching staff to miss the second free throw because Knott County was out of time outs, and though he nearly made it, it managed to bounce off the rim and Chance Cornett’s running 3-pointer from outside the top of the key before the final buzzer was wide left.

Hurtado said he’s about a 75 percent free throw shooter in games, and had reason to be confident in the one-and-one situation because of a daily practice regimen.

“I was feeling good. I was sure I could make the first one,” he said. “. . . I was confident, not nervous. I work a lot on my free throw shooting. After practice I’m the only one to take and make 20 in a row. I don’t leave the gym until I make 20 in a row.”

With nine minutes remaining, it didn’t appear Sagemont (9-1) would need Hurtado’s steady hands. The Lions held a 14-point lead following a 14-8 run that included a 3-pointer by senior UCLA commitment Prince Ali, who had a game-high 14 points.

But Knott County (9-1) went on a 10-0 run over 3:30 that extended to a 15-1 run over 5 minutes to tie the game with 4 minutes remaining, and neither team took more than a three-point lead down the stretch.

Senior Evan Hall, who had 14 points and 15 rebounds, started the run with a dunk and another tough inside basket, and senior Vanderbilt signee Camron Justice finished it despite a tough 4-for-18 shooting night with a 3-pointer.

“They’re a really good team and made terrific adjustments that we frankly didn’t handle very well,” Ross said. “We gave them an opportunity to get back in the game and they took advantage of the opportunity. I was proud of our kids, though. We were resilient. There were a couple opportunities for us to fold after giving up the big lead but we stuck in there.”

Knott County played without head coach B.B. King, who broke a rib in a go-cart accident on Sunday and was relegated to his hotel room.

King still had an impact on the game in absentia, as he texted coaches to employ a full-court, man-to-man pressure defense when he was informed they trailed by 14, and it helped spark the Patriots to the game-tying run. “It was a little different but he was still texting the coaches, telling them what to do, so he was still around,” Hall said. “We got together in the locker room and talked about trying to do this for coach since he couldn’t be here because he’s in a lot of pain right now. He’s barricaded in pillows.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2014 at 11:19 PM with the headline "Sagemont (Fla.) slips past Knott County (Ky.) and into the Beach Ball semis."