Bears score comeback win, will play for Final Four

By Dusty Harper (Contact) | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Early on, it looked like just another one-and-done performance by the Edward Bell boys basketball team at Monday’s Class 1A Central Regional Tournament opener at Alabama State.

The Bears had won only one game in their previous eight trips to regionals, and after falling behind 28-9 in the first quarter to Autaugaville, it appeared that total would stay the same.

However, Edward Bell used a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter to cut its deficit to three points and assaulted the Eagles in the fourth quarter, getting 16 points from Damien Carr in the final eight minutes to surge ahead and win 73-63.

The Bears will meet Holy Spirit on Thursday at 4:40 p.m. for the right to go to the Final Four in Birmingham.

First-year Bear head coach Mitch Joiner said once his team overcame the awful start, he just need one lead.

“I was thinking, ‘Please, just let us get up by two points so we can hold it and get to our guards,’” Joiner said. “Because nobody is stopping Damien, Jamie Edwards or Eddie Webb going to the hole.”

Led by Rodtavious Willis and Malcolm Cyrus, the Eagles startled the Bears out of the gate, draining four 3-pointers and seizing control early.

“I was so nervous,” Edwards said. “My hands were shaking and palms were sweaty the whole first quarter. But you can call us the comeback kids.”

Edward Bell whittled the lead down to eight with 2:27 left in the first half on a Cobe Bowens free throw, but Autaugaville pushed its advantage back to 13 at intermission.

Still down 13 late in the third quarter, Armis Holloway and the Bears began to chip away. Holloway made two field goals and four free throws in the final 2:06, and Carr added two foul shots of his own to make the score 49-46 Autaugaville after three.

Edward Bell took its first lead since the 6:43 mark of the first quarter on a Holloway free throw with 6:55 remaining in the game. The Eagles snatched it back on a Cyrus three 39 seconds later, but with 4:16 on the clock, the Bears took a lead they wouldn’t relinquish on a Webb floater. Carr would score seven straight points after that to ice the game.

“Nobody can guard us man-to-man,” Carr said. “We’ve got three great guards and we just go to the hole. We have better leadership and better character than we have before. It doesn’t matter if we’re down 20, 30 or 40, we don’t give up.”

“We really turned it around in the second half,” Bowens said. “We pressured them a lot and our fans kept us moving.”

Carr scored 20 points, Holloway had 16 and Edwards added 15. Bowens posted 15 rebounds and 12 points, while Webb chipped in with eight. Cyrus had 21 for Autaugaville and Willis had 17. Darren Wilson had nine points and 13 boards.

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