Photo by Ben McCormick of the Courier-Times
As the handshake line formed, several celebratory Person players taunted the Orange student section by waving goodbye.
It was reminiscent, and probably inspired by, Damian Lillard when he scored 50 points, including a 3-pointer to eliminate the Oklahoma City Thunder from the 2019 playoffs.
But in the situation that played out on Tuesday night, Person was waving goodbye not just to their Hillsborough rivals for this year, but probably for the next four years as a conference rival.
If not longer.
If so, the Rockets got the last laugh.
Person’s Tyler Wilson scored on a stickback bucket as time expired to lift Person over Orange 55-53 in the Central Conference Tournament semifinals. The Rockets (24-2) will face Eastern Alamance for the Central Conference Tournament championship at Orange High either Friday or Saturday night.
It was the third time this year that a matchup between Orange and Person was decided by two points or less. The Panthers defeated the Rockets 67-65 in Roxboro on January 9. Two weeks ago, Person’s Tae Winstead scored off an offensive rebound with 1:51 remaining to put the Rockets ahead in a 53-52 win in Hillsborough.
There was another wild finish on Tuesday night. Xandrell Pennix drained a 3-pointer contested by Wilson to tie the game at 53-53 with :7.1 remaining. Pennix, who scored his 1,000th point in Monday’s quarterfinal win over Southern Alamance led the Panthers with 21 points.
On the final play of regulation, Person forward Lance Clarke found Quante Bowman, who drove the left baseline. Bowman put up a floater that banged off the rim. Winstead had a catch-and-shoot from point-blank range, but it missed. Wilson got his first offensive rebound of the game and got the ball of his fingertips and through the net just as the final second rolled off the clock.
Clarke led the Rockets with 28 points and seven rebounds.
In the game two weeks ago, Person outrebounded Orange 53-41, including 21 offensive rebounds. Orange played a more deliberate style and limited Person’s advantage on the boards to 40-35. The Panthers actually got more offensive rebounds 12-11. As it does so often between Person and Orange, the second half was nip-and-tuck. There were eight lead changes in the second half.
Clarke scored off a pass from Kyan Lunsford with 2:19 remaining to put the Rockets ahead 48-46. Orange reserve guard Kamaal Smith, who scored a career-high 12 points, sank two free throws. On the subsequent inbounds pass, Freddy Sneed poked it away at midcourt. Panther point guard Kai Wade threw to Sneed for a lay-in to put Orange ahead 50-48, but Sneed immediately went down with a cramp injury to his right leg.
The Rockets threw the ball away on its next possession. Leading 50-48 with the ball and 1:08 remaining, the Panthers coughed it off 75 feet from their basket when Lunsford poked the ball away, leading to Sneed being called for his fourth foul.
On the next play, Lunsford grabbed an offensive rebound and found Clarke, who drove over Smith, scored on a bank shot and drew Sneed’s fifth foul in the process. Clarke’s free throw put Person ahead 51-50. Orange turned the ball over again and Winstead drained two free throws with 38 seconds remaining.
Person started the game with five consecutive points, but Orange scored eleven in a row, holding the Rockets scoreless for 6:17. Wade scored seven of his ten points in the first quarter as the Panthers led 11-7 at the end of the first eight minutes.
Orange built a 23-17 lead in the first half after Pennix scored on a lay-in off a pass from Sneed. Person scored seven straight points to take its only lead of the second quarter, ending with a lay-in by Clarke off a sharp pass from Wilson. Wade drained a pull-up jumper to put the Panthers ahead 25-24 at the half.
Orange (18-8) will wait for the 3A State Playoff brackets to be released on Sunday. They’re hopeful of earning an opening round home state playoff game. Currently, the Panthers have the #12 RPI in the East Region.
Person had to win in order to keep its hopes alive for taking one of the top eleven seeds for the state tournament. Currently, the Rockets’ RPI is #4 in the latest 3A East Region rankings. If Eastern Alamance wins the tournament championship, the highest seed in the state playoffs that Person could receive would be #12.